Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Ke aloha no, Folks!
Greetings)

I've noticed my single male Anole has been displaying his
dewlap quite a bit more than previously and I can't help but
wonder if he doesn't somehow know that Springtime is nearly
upon us and is as a result giving his "stuff" a dry run in
order to check whether it's all in tip-top working condition.
Has anyone else noticed similar signs of their male Anoles
that seem to indicate they somehow know that Springtime (and
mating season for Anoles - ) is just around the corner?
Does anyone know if, and how, male (and perhaps female as
well) Anoles know when it's mating season? I've read that the
changing photoperiod in the wild changes and there is more
daylight hours, but my male Anole doesn't really have good
access to outside light (what with all the artificial lighting
over his tank) so I'm wondering how they know when it's mating
season. Anyone? Peace.

Lizard~King

In captivity, they don't really have a defined mating season. It seems that anytime is the right time. You can force mating behavior by lowering the nighttime temperatures and reducing the photoperiod to 8-10 hours for 2-3 months. Then, when you lengthen it again, they will be ready to mate almost immediately (and frequently!).

>>In captivity, they don't really have a defined mating season. It seems that anytime is the right time. You can force mating behavior by lowering the nighttime temperatures and reducing the photoperiod to 8-10 hours for 2-3 months. Then, when you lengthen it again, they will be ready to mate almost immediately (and frequently!).

I've just read Ray Hunziker's "Green Anoles: Selection, Care & Breeding" (1994) and he writes about lizard's (including Anoles) "pineal" third eye and how it acts as a built-in timer "that is intimately tied into the lizards' endocrine glands. In other words, it sets the lizards' biological clocks......When it senses that days are growing longer, added to the stimulus of higher temperatures, it triggers the enlargement of the sex organs and the beginning of breeding activity." Granted Hunziker's book and therefore material is a
bit dated (1994), but it sounds like he's speaking with some authority as far as one of the functions of that third "pineal" eye (gland). Have you studied anything on this that you might be able to add to what he covers in his book?
This Anole book by Hunziker is very short (63 pages real easy reading), but does have some really nice photos and some good info on Anoles as well. I got it on www.Amazon.Com for $0.95 plus $3.49 shipping via USPS. Peace.

Lizard~King

It will also detect shadows from directly above (i.e., birds). They use it as a warning system as well. Rapid movement across the pineal eye will trigger a flee response.