The 21^st Century Magazine,
at South Florida's www.miami-dade-online.com.

This South Florida lizard is probably the Brown Anole which grows to about 4" long. This is a male, as the red throat fan can just be seen in the picture to the left. These lizards can turn from light to dark brown to blend in with its surroundings.

Lizards are wonderful companions. They eat mosquitos and other pests. Unfortunately, they are also the hunted by dogs and cats. Lucky lizard, the dogs are almost always too slow and often the only thing a cat gets is a broken tail, which will heal and only leave a major battle scar on the lizard. In Native American lore, lizard is the keeper of the Dream World.

Most lizards are active in the day and there are many different types different in size, colors, and shapes but always having dry, scaly skin, clawed feet, and external ear openings with normally very long tails. Geckos are a close match except they have cups on their toes enabling them to cling to walls, glass, and even ceilings. The most notable difference is the gecko is nocturnal. Both give birth through eggs and none are poisonous in Florida.

Although big and rather scary looking, this lizard stays high in trees and avoids people. This big boy was well over a foot long. We call them Cuban Lizards.

One of our readers identified this lizard as a Cuban Anole also known as a Knight Anole or Giant Anole. They reach up to 24" in length. The only times I have interacted is when the cats have brought them in. And, even though they have a scary double row of pointed and razor sharp teeth, only one cat got a nasty wound.

This is probably a Squirrel Treefrog which grows to about 1.5 inches long and has a color range from green to brown, plain or with small dark spots. Blunt nosed with large toe pads, this frog was on the outside of the widow when the picture was taken.

This is another type frog that could be a youngster of the Bullfrog or maybe the Pig Frog. Not being Frog Experts, it is hard to tell. The Bullfrog is said to be 6" while the Pig Frog is only 4", but this little guy was more like 3" long. When we pulled a big leaf off the statue, the frog was underneath. It sat quietly for as long as it took for the photographs. A Bullfrog is active in both day and night while the Pig Frog is nocturnal only.

E-MAIL: The photos of the two frogs you have on your website both appear to be cuban tree frogs (Osteopilus septentrionalis) rather than the squirrel tree frog (which is very green), or pig or bull frogs (which are aquatic). You may want to consider modifying your text. You could consider it a study of exotic herps, as all are from Cuba. Sincerely, George Navratil

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