Anyone who has sat on a New Orleans porch for more than five minutes has probably watched a small lizard dart across the railing or dodge behind a hanging fern. What most residents do not realize is that only one of the common types of lizards in New Orleans actually belongs here. The rest arrived by accident, by shipping container, or by way of the pet trade, and some have since outcompeted the natives they encountered.
This guide walks through five species a person is likely to spot in the city and the surrounding Louisiana parishes: the green anole, the brown anole, the slender glass lizard, the broad-headed skink, and the Texas horned lizard. Each has a distinct look, habitat preference, and backstory worth knowing before dismissing it as just another yard lizard.
1. Green Anole
The green anole (Anolis carolinensis) is the lizard most New Orleanians picture when they hear the word “anole.” Green anoles are the only native anoles to North America, and they have been climbing Louisiana trees, fences, and porch screens long before any of the other species on this list showed up. They belong to a group that stalks the treetops across the southeastern United States, which explains why they show up as often in live oaks as in backyard shrubs.
Males announce themselves with a flash of color under the chin. Males have bright red neck flaps known as dewlaps that puff out from under their chin in a crimson crest when calling for a mate or challenging another anole to a duel. When threatened, the lizard has one more trick: it can drop its tail to distract a predator, the detached appendage wiggling with a life of its own while the lizard slips away…