Brown Anole (Norops sagrei, previously Anolis sagrei)
The Brown Anole obviously sneaked into the country via the introduced ornamental plants during the development of the Gardens, officially opened in October 2011.
First spotted a year later, the slender Brown Anole is easily recognised by its long tail and tapering head. The male is immediately recognised by its orange to red throat fan that has a narrow light yellow border. The female has no throat fan or a poorly developed one.
The lizard is basically insectivorous but is known to feed on other small lizards. It has been proven to be invasive and has so far moved from the Caribbean to mainland United States, the Hawaiian Islands and even Taiwan. Now it has established itself in Singapore.
The female lays one to two eggs once every 14 days (Tan & Lim, 2012). These eggs take about a month to hatch, meaning that the Brown Anole can multiply fast. How this new arrival will have an impact on the native fauna, only time will tell. However, the National Parks Board is currently monitoring the situation.
Brown Anole (Norops sagrei, previously Anolis sagrei)
The Brown Anole obviously sneaked into the country via the introduced ornamental plants during the development of the Gardens, officially opened in October 2011.
First spotted a year later, the slender Brown Anole is easily recognised by its long tail and tapering head. The male is immediately recognised by its orange to red throat fan that has a narrow light yellow border. The female has no throat fan or a poorly developed one.
The lizard is basically insectivorous but is known to feed on other small lizards. It has been proven to be invasive and has so far moved from the Caribbean to mainland United States, the Hawaiian Islands and even Taiwan. Now it has established itself in Singapore.
The female lays one to two eggs once every 14 days (Tan & Lim, 2012). These eggs take about a month to hatch, meaning that the Brown Anole can multiply fast. How this new arrival will have an impact on the native fauna, only time will tell. However, the National Parks Board is currently monitoring the situation.