Decline in Florida’s brown anole could see rise in mosquito-borne illness

The invasive brown anole (Anolis sagrei) in Florida may have been protecting humans from mosquito borne diseases as once the insect bites a brown anole, it no longer needs to bite humans.

“This battle over Florida territory by two lizard species may seem minor, given the myriad of problems that Florida faces from other invaders such as Burmese pythons,” Nathan Burkett-Cadena, associate professor at the UF/IFAS Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory (FMEL) said in a blogpost on the University of Florida/FMEL website. “However, this reptile rumpus could have implications for public health.”