Harmless · Native to Hispaniola and the Bahamas · Found in south Florida

Bark anole

Anolis distichus

Florida race: Anolis distichus floridanus
Data updated November 2026

Gray bark anole flattened against a tree trunk, with dark chevrons across its back
Fig. 1 — Adult on bark, where its gray-brown colors and chevrons blend in.
Male bark anole showing a pale yellow dewlap
Fig. 2 — A male displaying his pale, yellowish dewlap.

At a glance

A small, bark-colored anole that spends its life on tree trunks, picking tiny insects off the bark. It is found mainly in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties in Florida. Whether the Florida form is native or arrived from the Caribbean long ago is still an open question.

01

Identification

The bark anole is a small anole whose colors match tree bark: tan, gray or dark brown in most Florida animals, though elsewhere individuals can be green or yellow or a marbled mix. It can lighten or darken to match its background. Many have four dark chevrons across the back, sometimes called “sergeant’s stripes.” Males are slightly larger than females, and only males have a well-developed dewlap, which varies by population: pale white to yellow or orange in Florida animals.

  1. 01Bark-colored and changeable. Gray, tan or brown, shifting shade to match the trunk it is sitting on.
  2. 02Dark chevrons. Up to four dark V-shaped bands across the back.
  3. 03Pale dewlap. Males show a whitish, yellow or orange throat fan; in some other populations it mixes red and green.

Commonly confused with

Brown anoles are far more common in south Florida yards. They spend more time low on trunks and on the ground, and males flash a red-orange dewlap. A small gray anole pressed flat against a tree trunk with dark chevrons on its back is more likely a bark anole.

02

Size

03 in6 in9 in1 ft2 ft3 ft4 ft Typical adult · about 5 in (13 cm)

Bark anoles are small, about 4½ to 5 inches (11–13 cm) long including the tail, and noticeably smaller than the 7- to 8-inch anoles common in Florida. Males are slightly larger than females.

03

Range & habitat

Tree trunk with rough bark in a south Florida neighborhood
Fig. 3 — Tree trunks and branches in yards and parks are bark anole territory.

The species is native to Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic) and the Bahamas, and has been recorded on other Caribbean islands and in parts of Central and South America. In Florida it occurs mainly in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties, from southeastern Palm Beach County south. There are verified records farther north at West Palm Beach and at Port Salerno in Martin County (2018).

How bark anoles reached Florida is not settled. A Florida subspecies, A. d. floridanus, was described in 1948 from Miami-Dade County, and some herpetologists think it may be native, which would make it one of only two native anoles in the United States along with the green anole. Others suspect it arrived from Hispaniola as a stowaway or released pet. Florida bark anoles have interbred in many places with the introduced green bark anole (A. d. dominicensis). It lives almost entirely on tree trunks and branches.

04

Diet & predators

Bark anoles are tiny-prey specialists. They pick small insects off the outer bark of trunks and branches, rarely leaving the tree to hunt. Little has been published on their predators in Florida, but birds and tree-climbing snakes that hunt other small anoles likely take them too.

Feeds on

  • Tiny insects on bark
  • Small flies
  • Other small invertebrates

Preyed on by

  • Birds
  • Tree-climbing snakes
  • Larger lizards
Ants walking along tree bark
Prey — tiny insects on bark.
Small songbird perched on a branch
Predator — birds.

05

Behavior & seasons

Bark anoles are active by day and spend nearly all their time on tree trunks, where their colors and ability to darken or lighten make them easy to overlook. Males display from the trunk by extending their dewlaps. In south Florida they can be active through much of the year, especially in warm weather.

06

Reproduction

Like other anoles, bark anoles lay eggs, usually one at a time at intervals during the warm months. Detailed figures for Florida populations are scarce.

07

Conservation

The bark anole is assessed as Least Concern. In Florida, no environmental problems caused by the species have been reported. Its long history in south Florida and the mixing of the Florida race with introduced Caribbean bark anoles make its exact status there a puzzle that herpetologists are still sorting out.

Keep reading

Sources

Data updated November 2026 · How we build these pages