In a twist on backyard wildlife encounters, an Orlando man stumbled upon an unexpected guest last week — a peculiar-looking lizard.Orlando resident Gary Nunn wasted no time in identifying the creature as an Argentine black and white tegu lizard, a nonnative and invasive species to Florida.
“I went, ‘Oh my God.’ I knew what it was,” when he spotted the lizard, Nunn told WESH 2 News
Nunn captured the reptile using a cage and a can of cat food as bait.
“I don’t want them running around terrorizing my cats,” Nunn said.
Ron Magill, an expert with Zoo Miami, told WESH 2 that Florida has inadvertently become a hub for exotic animals, with tegus being no exception.
“Florida has become the Ellis Island of exotic animals,” Magill said.
Their adaptable nature has allowed them to migrate slowly up the state, posing a threat to native species, small animals, and the delicate ecosystem, he said.
Magill expressed concern about tegus outcompeting indigenous creatures for food, which can have a detrimental ripple effect on the entire ecosystem.
“They are just such a large, powerful lizard that they outcompete native species for food,” Magill told WESH 2. “And when you start outcompeting these native species, that can have a snowball effect on the environment and ecosystem as a whole.”
Magill said the nonnative animals likely began as pets that escaped or were released into Florida’s wildlife. Tegus are more commonly found in south Florida than in the Orlando area.
Image via Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission/website
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission designated tegus as a prohibited species in 2021. FWC officials advise on their website how to humanely kill these lizards on private property.
However, Nunn finds himself at a crossroads, unsure of what to do with the tegu he has captured.
“Hopefully, somebody will want to take it; otherwise, I’m just going to have to kill it. I can’t let it free,” he told WESH 2.
If you encounter a suspicious lizard resembling a tegu in your neighborhood, FWC urges you to take a picture, note the location and promptly report the sighting via the IveGot1Mobile app or by calling 1-888-ive-got1.
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