Tegus As An Invasive Species

​Argentine black and white Tegu’s are large lizards native to South America – specifically Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina. These reptiles can reach up to four feet in length, spend most of their time on land, but can swim and remain submerged for long periods. These critters are intelligent, and when kept as house pets can be very attached to their owners and quite docile.
Many people buy these animals when they are tiny hatchlings, and do not do their research. As they grow and become more work than their owners care to give, many owners become irresponsible and release their Tegu into the wild. This terrible practice has given Florida yet another ecosystem disaster.
Wild Tegus are a huge threat to the ecosystems in Florida. Tegus have breeding populations in Miami-Dade and Hillsborough counties, and the main concern is that these animals will compete with and prey upon Florida’s native wildlife including threatened species. Tegu’s reproduce quickly, and females can lay up to 35 eggs a year. They eat a wide variety of items including small animals and eggs, which raises the concern that they will eat the eggs of many bird species. So far it has been documented that these animals have eaten Alligator eggs, which raises concern for Crocodile conservationists – what if these invasive animals prey upon the eggs of American Crocodiles? FYI American Crocodiles are a threatened species.
To prevent the spread of these animals Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is working with other Florida agencies and organizations to assess the threat of this species and develop management strategies. I am part of the wildlife ecology and conservation lab in the University of Florida, and part of my job is to trap and remove wild Tegus. We have over 150 live traps set to capture these lizards, and bring in anywhere from 5-13 Tegus a day. We have removed over 2100 Tegus to date. It certainly is not a glamorous job – wild Tegus are very aggressive when trapped, and have strong jaws that will rip open your flesh (yes, it hurts, A LOT), but someone has to do it. 
As I urged in my last post regarding Burmese pythons: Please, do not release your pets into the wild. Be a responsible pet owner – Don’t let it loose.
You can read more about the UF efforts to rid Florida of Tegus here:
​http://www.miamiherald.com/latest-news/article100941272.html

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About the Author:
Jenna is a Wildlife Ecology and Conservation student at the University of Florida. She primarily works with research, removal, and general management of nonnative and invasive species in south Florida.