long tailed / anole lizard hybrid

Question
i have 3 lizards a long tail and  two anoles one a green the other a brown, today i was messing with the tank and i noticed a little tic tac like object lieing in the dirt could my long tail and anole have mated and if so could this little egg end up hatching.

thanks for you time

Answer
Hi Anthony,

The long tail and the anole are from different scientific families which would make interbreeding impossible.

You didn't ask about the two anoles so I assume they are both female? Although green and brown anoles are much more closely related (same genus) then anoles and long tails , hybridization between the two does not happen. They currently inhabit much of the the same range here in North America but the brown anole is an introduced species so they evolved separately. Many people also keep browns and greens in community tanks with no resulting offspring even though mating behaviour has been observed between the two species.

Reptiles often lay eggs without being mated. However, they are also able to store sperm for several months and use it to fertilize later eggs so your egg could still be fertile, the female having bred before you got her.

I would suggest you gently move the egg into a clear plastic container with very small air holes and some slightly damp dirt or bark. You can leave the container in the enclosure in a slightly warm area, around 25 to 30C. Re-moisten the dirt occasionally. It can take around 6 weeks for them to hatch. Baby anoles are very small and putting the egg in the container will keep the baby from escaping or being eaten if it does hatch. Good luck.