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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsGeorgia officials warn of 4-foot-long invasive lizards that eat 'anything they want'
Georgias Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is warning residents that an invasive species of giant lizards has established in the state, posing a threat to wildlife and crops because they eat anything they want.
Officials said that theyre working to eradicate the spread of Argentine black and white tegus. The lizards can grow to four feet long and weigh upward of 10 pounds, making it easily mistaken for a baby alligator.
DNR biologist John Jensen said in a video earlier this month that the lizards eat just about anything they want, including both plants and small animals.
One of their favorite foods is eggs from ground-nesting animals such as gopher tortoise our protected state reptile. Birds, including turkeys and quail.
https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/497808-georgia-officials-warn-of-4-foot-long-invasive-lizards-that-eat-anything
milestogo
(16,829 posts)sakabatou
(42,146 posts)hardluck
(638 posts)Jamastiene
(38,187 posts)I saw a meme that said Godzilla was coming in June. No one mentioned the tegus in May.
dawg
(10,624 posts)EndlessWire
(6,509 posts)Hermit-The-Prog
(33,321 posts)Jamastiene
(38,187 posts)They won't really be a threat.
Maybe it wouldn't hurt us to concentrate our efforts on the Gortesque Orange Pustule. They really DO need to go. He is a much larger threat. Just a suggestion.
I wish I could train fire ants. I could make the south blue.
NickB79
(19,233 posts)But the drones they found this spring were DNA tested and found to have come from a second, unknown queen.
StarryNite
(9,442 posts)sprinkleeninow
(20,235 posts)bdjhawk
(420 posts)LOL!!
dewsgirl
(14,961 posts)Hortensis
(58,785 posts)Lol, not how I imagined the apocalypse either.
They've actually been wild in Florida for a while, presumably due to release of "pets" who get too big for the aquarium, though we've never seen any. The only big reptiles where we live are alligators, and of course 4 footers are rather cute little things. Comparatively.
LeftInTX
(25,229 posts)And he was a bull cuz he had balls. (Guess he doesn't believe in controlling the pet population...dog is probably a stud)
Owner is walking him and says hi. I glance and say hi back.
Owner and dog acted like he wanted to stop and hang around. I just ignored them. They slowly left.
SheltieLover
(57,073 posts)Jamastiene
(38,187 posts)I wonder how long before all of Florida's invasives escape into the rest of the south. I've been waiting to see anacondas, cobras, pythons and feces flinging monkeys escape Florida's borders.
Tegus have been known to chase Florida Man. That is how badass they are.
I'm joking. Don't mess with them and they won't mess with you. If you mess with them though, look out.
mitch96
(13,890 posts)When I first moved down to SoFla there was a news report of a bunch of monkey attacked a man who ran over one of 'em.. He made the mistake of getting out of the car to see what he hit and the other monkeys attacked him. There was a large open area just south of the Ft Lauderdale airport that had a group of released/escaped monkeys living there. They are all gone now but it was just "another day" in So Fla..
m
SunSeeker
(51,550 posts)smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)dalton99a
(81,443 posts)DFW
(54,338 posts)The one that's posing as their governor is close to six feet, for example.
Baclava
(12,047 posts)dalton99a
(81,443 posts)abqtommy
(14,118 posts)* movie Free State Of Jones
mitch96
(13,890 posts)"take care of 'em".... Like the snakes in the glades and the feral hogs in the south... yup..
m
tinrobot
(10,893 posts)Just asking...
lame54
(35,284 posts)Politicub
(12,165 posts)Now, four-foot lizards? Put them on a two foot leash and then they can help you reinforce your social distancing.