Invasive lizard’s appetite for eggs a danger to many ground-nesting species
The invasive species just keep coming.
In recent blogs, we’ve discussed the giant Asian hornet and the cane toad. The well-publicized hornet showed up in the Pacific Northwest recently. The toad is already well-established in parts of Florida.
Now, get ready for the tegu.
A lizard that can grow to a length of 4 feet, the Argentine tegu has made inroads into Florida and is beginning its invasion of Georgia. As with nearly all invasive species, this reptile is damaging the ecosystem in the process.
The tegu joins a list of non-native reptiles that have found a home in the Sunshine State. These include the green iguana, Burmese python, red-eared slider turtle and even those cute little anoles that scurry across your fence and window screens.
Among the problems surrounding the tegu’s migration is its taste for whatever eggs it can find on the ground. That includes the eggs of gopher tortoises, eastern indigo snakes, alligators and ground-nesting birds. As a result, the tegu threatens these populations.
The story of this creature is familiar, reminiscent of the pythons that are now prolific in parts of Florida. People acquired tegus as pets and grew tired of them, eventually releasing them into the wild to fend for themselves. They’ve adapted well to the warm Florida environment and have found a smorgasbord of food options here — much to the detriment of native animals.
In addition to eggs, the tegu’s menu includes small animals, insects and plants.
As if that weren’t enough, they can be aggressive and bite. One cable company employee had a tegu chase him back into his van (we regret that no video footage exists … it probably would have been funny).
Natural tegu habitats include the tropical rainforest and various hot-weather savannahs.
Sightings have occurred in the Melbourne/Palm Bay area. A map shows areas where people have reported seeing them. The highest concentration is around Miami, where there have been nearly 4,000 reports.
In South America, people have found commercial uses for the tegu. They make leather shoes and purses out of its hide. Some even eat the reptile as a delicacy. (It’s doubtful, however, that “a tegu, to go” will catch on here.)
If you run across a tegu on your property or elsewhere, don’t attempt to remove it yourself. They have sharp upper-teeth and, for their size, strong jaws. We recommend that you call Slug-A-Bug.