Anole lizards are just not in the Caribbean islands! You can also see them here in Harris and surrounding counties! The Green Anole is Native to Houston, but the Cuban Brown Anole is the more aggressive cousin and is an invasive species. Since the encroachment of the Cuban Brown Anole, studies have shown that our native Green Anole has begun to show some morphological and behavioral changes. What scientists have found, and what you can probably witness at home, is that the Green Anole is now choosing to live higher off the ground and they have developed larger toe pads.  In a short period of time, Green Anoles have evolved larger toe pads to help cling to these more precarious branches and twigs. At this moment we are witnessing microevolution in our very own back and front yards!

I wonder what events would have to occur for the ground-dwelling Brown Anoles and the tree-dwelling Green Anoles to diverge and become separate species? What do you think?