Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Here's something I've been thinking about:

Will the introduction and hybridizing of A. porcatus with A. carolinensis bring A. carolinensis back to Southern Florida? Or are there too few A. carolinensis left, causing the genetic uniqueness of the Southern A. carolinensis subspecies to be lost forever? Will Anolis porcatus dominate Southern Florida, leaving A. carolinensis just in the northern states?

We will see the answer in a few years, but can anyone predict what the outcome will be?

Anolis porcatus is not the cause for the extirpation of A. carolinensis. The culprit is Anolis sagrei. Their numbers and aggressiveness have caused the problems for A. carolinensis in southern Florida. Fortunately, they are not able to survive in the northern portions of the A. carolinensis range.

I do know the A. sageri is the cause of A. carolinesis's extirpation.

I will try to clarify.
Anolis porcatus= Cuban Green Anole
Anolis sageri= Cuban Brown Anole
Anolis carolinensis= Native Green Anole of Florida

A. porcatus is native to Cuba, wich is also the home of A. sageri. A. porcatus is adapted to compete succesfully with the A. sageri ( with adaptations such as a larger body size, etc. )

A. porcatus is closely related to A. carolinesis, so the two CAN hybridize and produce fertile offspring (AFAIK.)

Now here's my question:
Will a hyrbid of A. porcatus x A. carolinensis arise in numbers?
OR
Are there too few A. carolinensis left in southern Florida, causing the green anole found in southern Florida to be purely Anolis porcatus?

While there might be some stragglers of A. carolinensis in south Florida, they are virtually extinct. There are insufficient numbers to form a hybrid population unless they are artificially hybridized and reintroduced. That, unfortunately, would be an almost impossible undertaking.

If I win the jackpot of the lottery I'll make that one of my goals!