If you ’re out for a walk in Georgia and happen to see a 4 - fundament - prospicient black lounge lizard with a white dotted pattern across its back , you should n’t panic . What you should do is attempt to take a photo — it might be an Argentinian tegu , a non - native lizard species that could soonwreak havocon Georgia ’s wildlife .
AsTravel + Leisurereports , the scaly creatures to begin with hail from South America , but they ’ve recently been spotted in South Florida and Georgia , where they ’re scarf down a smorgasbord of egg from many unlike specie : ground - nest birds like quail andturkeys , reptileslike gator and gophertortoises , or even regular chicken . They ’re far from picky — they’ll also crunch on pet solid food , yield , vegetable , carrion , hopper , baby Minnesotan tortoise , and other small animals . The Taegu pose an especially gravid scourge to gopher tortoises , one of Georgia’sprotected species . Not only do they eat them , but they ’re also known to take up residency in their tunnel , evicting the tortoises in the cognitive process .
Considering how turbulent they could be to Georgia ’s existing ecosystem , the Georgia Department of Natural Resources isasking peopleto study any tegu sighting , living or stagnant , so they can track the population spread and keep it contained . Because the lizard do n’t have any innate predators in Georgia and procreate rapidly — female can lie around 35 egg each twelvemonth — the area could be crawling with them before you’re able to say “ Look , a lizard ! ”
Tegus have been see in Toombs and Tattnall counties , and they can wander from 6 inches ( for hatchlings , which are also distinct by their bright unripe head ) to 4 groundwork long . Though they do n’t usually aggress humans , one might turn its sharp claw and teeth on you if it feels threaten ; in other words , snap the pic from a good distance .
Then , seize the image tothis strain , satiate out a few cardinal details — including the tegu ’s size and fix — and hit “ Submit . ” The Georgia Invasive Species Task Force will take it from there .
[ h / tTravel + Leisure ]
