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#2103596
Atrax27407
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Anoles in Winter 
I live just outside the normal range of Green Anoles. They are naturally found about 35 miles south of here in the Uwharrie National Forest. However, for the past couple of years, I have released some of my excess into the "wild" outside around the house. One has been succesfully living near the back porch for a couple of years now. He overwinters in our heated greenhouse and emerges every spring to patrol his territory. I’m not sure exactly where the second one spends his time during cold weather. Several nights in the low 20’s don’t seem to have bothered him! I suspect that he has a protected "cubby-hole" somewhere under the deck. When the sun comes out, so does he. He basks in a protected, sunny spot and hunts the insects that also appear on sunny days.
The bottom line is this: Anoles do not hibernate (as also proven by several university studies) and tolerate average temperatures in the 40’s quite well. They have a good tolerance to cold weather and hunt and even gain weight during the winter months. They are certainly less active in the colder months and still do much better in warm weather (or a suitably warm enclosure).
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12/11/09 09:17am
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#2105637
Atrax27407
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Message To: Atrax27407 In reference to Message Id: 2103596
Anoles in Winter
The outside temperature is about 40 degrees. Both of the Anoles are out basking on the south side of the house where the sun-heated bricks get quite warm - even in the winter. Both of them appear to have gained significant weight since the end of the summer which is in line with the university studies that I have seen.
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12/16/09 03:26pm
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#2107571
Atrax27407
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Message To: Atrax27407 In reference to Message Id: 2105637
Anoles in Winter
After a week or so of sub-freezing temperatures and half a foot of snow, I was wondering what adaptations my "outdoor" Anoles had made. I haven’t seen the one that usually hangs around the back porch during the cold spell but since he has access to the heated greenhouse, I reasoned that he had probably gone inside until the next relatively warm and sunny day. One of them - I’m not sure which one - was sitting on one of the rafters inside the greenhouse this afternoon. He was nice and fat, green, and content despite the snow still lingering outside (I’ll post a picture when the photo server gets straightened out).
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12/23/09 03:36pm
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#2108104
Atrax27407
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Message To: Atrax27407 In reference to Message Id: 2107571
Anoles in Winter
Both of the Anoles have been out since the snowstorm. The one at the back porch was a bit too quick for me. Too bad, it would have been a spectacular picture - an Anole on the bricks with snow in the foreground!
Anyway, I was able to catch the one inside of the greenhouse.
Look closely along the rafter.
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12/26/09 12:10pm
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#2113657
Atrax27407
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Message To: Atrax27407 In reference to Message Id: 2108104
Anoles in Winter
Here is another picture of my "Greenhouse Anole". Despite low temperatures outside in teens and twenties. he has "managed" to survive. The greenhouse is heated and there are plenty of prey items among the multitude of plants in there. It doesn’t look like he has missed many meals.
This is his second winter in the greenhouse. He spends the warmer months running around the back porch.
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01/14/10 02:26pm
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#2113881
TwilightRealm
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Message To: Atrax27407 In reference to Message Id: 2113657
Anoles in Winter
They seem to be doing very well, and surprisingly nice and plump for wintertime.
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01/15/10 11:46am
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#2113886
Atrax27407
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Message To: TwilightRealm In reference to Message Id: 2113881
Anoles in Winter
The study that was done by Bishop at the University of Tennessee found that most actually gained weight right through the winter. Since they don’t hibernate, they bask and hunt on warm winter days as the temperature permits. I think some even gained as much as 25% of their body weight during the winter months. Of course, the males that gained the most during the winter also had an advantage during the spring mating season.
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01/15/10 12:00pm
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#2114108
TwilightRealm
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Message To: Atrax27407 In reference to Message Id: 2113886
Anoles in Winter
I guess I just always thought that all the bugs somehow disappeared in winter. I never stopped to consider what they actually did when winter came around. Are insects not affected by the weather?
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01/16/10 12:11am
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#2114158
Atrax27407
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Message To: TwilightRealm In reference to Message Id: 2114108
Anoles in Winter
Most of the insects disappear in the winter - either passing the cold months as an immature form or in a state of semi-hibernation. On warm days, however, they appear seemingly out of nowhere. Even with ambient air temperatures in the low 30’s, I am able to consistently catch flies that alight on the south-facing brick wall of my house to bask. The winter sun is warm enough to make the bricks warm to the touch in the afternoon. I have also seen black Field Crickets "out and about" in sunny areas.
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01/16/10 08:18am
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