Atlas of Reptiles in Tennessee - Austin Peay State University
Wikipedia
University of Michigan Museum of Zoology
Wild Texas - Shannon Moore
National Zoological Park
Savannah River Ecology Laboratory
Tennessee Amphibians & Reptiles - Matthew Niemiller
The Northern Green Anole (not to be confused with the Cuban Green Anole that's introduced in Florida) is quite abundant in Florida, and has a fairly extensive range in Tennessee, but the only ones I've ever seen outside of Florida were in eastern North Carolina. They occur along the southern edge of Tennessee, Hardeman County east, as well as up the Blue Ridge Mountains into the Smokies. They actually seem to be more abundant in the Smokies than anywhere else in the state. (Or maybe they're just found more frequently there because that's where all the people are.)Males have a bunch of loose pinkish-red skin on their throat and a bone that runs the length of the throat from the neck to the mouth. It's hinged at the mouth but free at the neck, so they can swing it down, extending the pinkish skin into a big long flap. This is how they signal their territories and attract women.
Photos by Max Feken (top) & Matthew Niemiller (bottom)
(This is Rob Hunter) I saw one a few weeks ago on the eastern shore of Chilhowee Lake...that's the closest I've seen one to GSMNP. I'm gonna be doing some hiking in the lower Abrams Creek area soon so I'll keep an eye out. Speaking of spotting herps in the Park...on the Cades Cove FB fan page there's a photographer who insists there is a population of Hyla cinerea in Cades Cove that he's photographed numerous times over the years. He posted a photo - definitely a Green Tree Frog but of course no way to confirm it was taken in the Park. I'm not sure why he would make this up but at the same time it seems very unlikely that there's no published data (as far as I can find) regarding any H. cinerea in the park. I told him to report exact locations so he claims he's getting in contact with Tremont...anyway thought it was interesting; if he's lying (which I kind of suspect) he's certainly committed to it!
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