Tegu lizards are emerging threat along the Treasure Coast and eat native Florida species
St. Lucie County is home to an emerging and breeding population of invasive tegu lizards, but also home to one of the state's most skilled trappers.
A staggering 1,533 Argentine black and white tegus have been captured or observed in St. Lucie County, making it a state hotspot for the invasive carnivorous lizard, according to the online invasive species map eddmaps.org. Ten have been caught or observed in Martin County and only one has been observed in Indian River County.
The FWC refers to tegus as an "emerging population" in St. Lucie County, which means the lizards aren't just released pets, but part of a breeding population. St. Lucie's population compared to neighboring counties may be skewed by the talents of one of the state's most skilled trappers, Sid Pennington, a former employee at the St. Lucie Nuclear Plant.
Over 18,000 tegus have been removed from the wild in Florida, according to FWC spokesperson Lisa Thompson. The tegu invasion began when people accidentally or intentionally released them, but they are now breeding. The FWC in April 2021 listed tegus as a high-risk species and banned owning or breeding them.
University of Florida researchers in 2014 set up cameras and documented two tegus eating two alligator eggs a day, until the entire nest was empty. FWC's recent analysis of gut contents show tegus also eat threatened juvenile gopher tortoises.
Like all nonnative reptile species, tegus are not protected in Florida except by anti-cruelty laws and can be humanely killed on private property with the landowner's permission. Tegus can be captured and killed year-round and without a permit or hunting license on 32 FWC-managed lands in South Florida.
The FWC is seeking public feedback on proposed rule changes for nonnative species, including tegus.
The FWC will host three virtual public meetings this week on pet permits, caging requirements for juvenile tegus and green iguanas and placement options for prohibited species by FWC Law Enforcement. The meetings focused on tegus will be at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. March 27 and 10 a.m. March 29.
Information on participating in the meeting can be found at the FWC's nonnative species page.
Staff will use feedback to help draft rules, which the FWC Commission will consider at a future meeting. The public also may comment via the FWC online portal or by emailing nonnativespeciesrules@myfwc.com.
Over 500 nonnative species have been reported in Florida, of which 80% have been introduced via the live animal trade. About 150 species are established in Florida, meaning they are reproducing in the wild.
Call the FWC's exotic species hotline at 888-483-4681
Report the exact location, preferably with a photo, at IveGot1.org.
Tim O'Hara is TCPalm's environment reporter. Contact him at tim.ohara@tcpalm.com.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: FWC seeks public comment on rules for invasive iguanas, tegu lizards
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