Step into any Houston backyard on a warm afternoon and you’re almost guaranteed to spot a lizard darting across a fence rail or freezing mid-stride on a tree trunk. Most residents lump them all together as “chameleons,” but the types of lizards in Houston, Texas actually break down into a handful of distinct species with their own colors, habits, and origin stories. Two of them look nearly identical at a glance, which is exactly why so many Houstonians end up confused about what’s living in their yard.
This guide covers the three lizards you’re most likely to encounter around Harris County: the native green anole, the invasive Cuban brown anole, and the tree-loving Texas spiny lizard. Knowing the differences helps with backyard identification and explains why one species seems to be disappearing while another keeps showing up in greater numbers every year.
1. Green Anole
The green anole (Anolis carolinensis) is the lizard longtime Houston residents grew up calling a “chameleon,” even though it isn’t related to true chameleons at all. The green anole is the only anole native to the U.S., living in the Southeastern United States from east Texas to southern Virginia. Local writers have noticed the shift firsthand: one longtime Houston Buzz Magazine columnist recalled that when I first moved to Houston many years ago, the anoles were almost all the green ones, a detail that hints at how much the local lizard population has changed since.
Identification is straightforward once you know what to look for. Green anoles are diurnal, slender lizards typically measuring between 5 and 8 inches, tail included. Adult males feature a bright pink or red throat fan, or dewlap, while females have smaller, paler ones. Despite the popular nickname, the green anole’s color depends on their mood, health, temperature and humidity rather than an attempt to match their surroundings…