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Officials warn of invasive lizards in Georgia, and they’re big

  • A population of black and white tegu lizards has appeared in Georgia and nobody knows where they came from.
  • The lizards, which can grow to a length of up to four feet, may have originally been pets that were released into the wild and reproduced. 
  • The species may feast on native bird eggs and other native wildlife. 

The United States isn’t the first place you’d think to look for oversized lizards. Sure, the southern states have a variety of reptiles, but most of them are pretty small, and you don’t see the same kind of large reptiles in the US that you might see with regularity in more tropical climates. That’s changing in Georgia, where an invasive species of lizards from South American is causing problems for native wildlife.

The black and white tegu, native to Argentina, has found a new home in Georgia, though wildlife officials aren’t sure how. The lizards can grow to a length of four feet and weigh upwards of 10 pounds, CNN reports. That makes them a formidable predator for ground-dwelling creatures, including those that make nests on the ground, as their eggs make an easy meal.


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The Georgia Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Resources Division issued an alert explaining the risk that the reptiles pose to native wildlife. Aside from eating native wildlife and eggs, the lizards may also spread diseases to native animal populations that they aren’t capable of fighting off.

Tegus will eat the eggs of ground-nesting birds—including quail and turkeys—and other reptiles, such as American alligators and gopher tortoises, both protected species. They will also eat chicken eggs, fruit, vegetables, plants, pet food, carrion and small live animals, from grasshoppers to young gopher tortoises.

The group produced an informative rundown of information regarding the invasive species. Here’s a brief chunk of that post, containing some valuable info:

  • Adult tegus have few predators and can multiply quickly. Females reach reproductive age at about 12 inches long or after their second season of brumation. They can lay about 35 eggs a year. Hatching in Georgia would be expected in June/July.
  • Tegus are legal as pets in Georgia but it is illegal to release non-native animals into the wild.
  • Although not considered aggressive toward people, tegus will defend themselves if threatened. They can react fast and lash with their tails. They have sharp teeth and claws and strong jaws.

Officials also note that it might be easy to confuse the lizards with native species, making it harder to detect and report confirmed sightings. They’re skilled swimmers and can remain beneath the surface for extended lengths of time. Combined with their relatively fast land speed, they can be very evasive.

As far as where the tegus originated, nobody knows for sure. However, the fact that the reptiles are legal to own as pets suggests the strong possibility that they were released into the wild by individuals who had previously kept them. That’s always a bad idea, and in this case, it’s possible that former pet tegus ended up spawning a population of the invasive lizards in the wild.

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