Georgia officials trying to stop large, invasive lizard that eats 'anything they want'

Joel Shannon, USA TODAY 

An invasive lizard that grows up to four-and-a-half feet long is causing concern for Georgia wildlife officials who are attempting to eradicate it from the state after years of sightings.

"They eat just about anything they want," said Georgia Department of Natural Resources Wildlife biologist John Jensen in a May 8 video about the Argentine black and white tegu.

While the lizards have not been a threat to humans and common household pets, Georgia officials say people should avoid leaving pet foods outside, as it can attract the lizard. They are not known for being aggressive towards humans, although sometimes they may chase people.

The reptiles grow large, reproduce fast and eat a wide variety of things, from fruit to eggs, birds and small mammals. Tegus pose a threat to native wildlife, including gopher tortoises, a candidate for Endangered Species Act listing. They have been documented using gopher tortoise burrows and eating tortoise eggs and the young.

© Denis Farrell, AP A black and white Argentine Tegu lizard sticks out its tongue at the Yebo Gogga exhibition at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, in May 2015.

Jensen said the DNR is setting traps for the reptiles and asking for sightings to be reported. But "if you're able to safely and humanely dispatch of the animal, we encourage that," Jensen said.

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This marks the third year the lizards have been trapped in southern Georgia, the Orianne Society said in a Monday Facebook post. Tegus have been causing problems in Florida for years.

They are popular in the pet trade but trouble when released in the wild. In Georgia's Toombs and western Tattnall counties, the lizards have been spotted crossing dirt roads, have turned up on game cams and even gotten trapped in a farmer’s shop.

If tegus are reproducing in the wild, catching them early is crucial. Once established, as with Florida’s two known populations, the only effective response is trying to stem their numbers and spread.

Multiple invasive species have been causing concern for United States wildlife officials this spring. Asian giant hornets, which gained notoriety for the nickname "Murder Hornets," have been spotted in the Pacific Northwest. And giant gypsy moths were recently spotted in Washington state as Gov. Jay Inslee issued an emergency proclamation.