Georgia’s wildlife agency is asking residents to report sightings of an invasive lizard that can pose a threat to native species.
The state Department of Natural Resources is trying to locate and remove South American tegus from Georgia before the lizards can thrive in greater numbers. So far, the state’s only known wild population has been found in Toombs and Tattnall counties in southeast Georgia.
Wildlife officials hope to stop the black and white lizards from spreading further. They can grow up to 4 feet (1.2 meters) long and weight up to 10 pounds (4.5 kilograms), and have a wide-ranging appetite that favors eggs of turtles, alligators and ground-nesting birds.
“They can live almost anywhere and eat almost anything,” Daniel Sollenberger, a DNR wildlife biologist, said in a news release.
“We are focusing our efforts to accomplish two goals: document the extent of where tegus occur in the wilds of southeast Georgia and remove those animals as soon as we can after they are detected,” Sollenberger said. “With area residents, hunters and other folks helping us keep an eye out for and controlling tegus, we are cautiously optimistic we can control this population.”
