Sleeping Under Pressure: Sleep Site Selection in Urban Brown Anole Lizards ( <i>Anolis sagrei</i> )

ABSTRACT Daytime microhabitat selection is shaped by both physiological traits and environmental pressures, yet nocturnal microhabitat selection remains poorly understood in many species. In urban brown anole lizards ( Anolis sagrei ), daytime perch selection is influenced by morphology, thermoregulation, and competition, but the factors shaping nocturnal perch selection in urban populations are less clear. We examined sleep site selection at night in adult male, adult female, and juvenile brown anoles in an urban population in New Orleans, Louisiana. Larger individuals perched marginally higher than smaller conspecifics, though perch height did not differ significantly across groups. Within juveniles, higher body temperatures were associated with lower perch heights, a pattern not observed in adults. This difference may reflect active thermoregulatory behavior on the part of juveniles, or passive heat gain resulting from lower thermal inertia. Most lizards slept facing the stem of the plant, suggesting a defensive posture toward potential ground‐based predators. Individuals also slept in dark sleeping perches, with most observed at light levels below 1 lx, microhabitats that may reduce predator detection or exposure to artificial light at night (ALAN). Overall, sleep site selection in this urban population of A. sagrei exhibits marked variation within the studied population, and likely reflects the combined influence of morphology, light exposure, predation risk, and age‐specific constraints.