DNR Reports Invasive Species Seen in Toombs, Tattnall Counties

Tegu

If you see a rather large black and white lizard in Toombs or Tattnall counties, you might be a bit unnerved, but the Georgia Department of Natural Resources are aware of these creatures’ existence and says they need the public’s help.

Daniel Sollenberger of the DNR said, “These are Black and White Argentine Tegus and they have been reported in those areas. They are a threat to our ecosystem and could potentially be carrying parasites and other health-related issues.”

Sollenberger said the large lizards like to feed on small animals including other amphibians but really like to eat eggs which could cause an imbalance in ground-laying birds, turtles, snakes and other animals who populate through laying eggs.

“They’re usually not aggressive toward humans unless you try to catch one,” he said. “They have sharp teeth and claws and will fight to get away.”

Sollenberger said DNR is unsure just how Tegus got introduced into the local area, but it is believed it may have begun with the pet trade.

“They hatch out about a foot long, and they are really kind of cute,” he said. “But they grow quickly into four to -four-and-a-half feet and some people just are equipped to care for them so they ‘dump’ them into the wild. It is also possible that someone took the lizard into the yard and it got away, met with another Tegu or possibly it was a female with eggs. But any way they got exposed to the territory, it’s obvious they are multiplying because we’ve seen 25 -30 reports of them in the two counties.”

Sollenberger said if you do see one, if at all possible, you should try to “dispatch” or kill it and then notify the DNR. If you don’t have access to a gun, at the minimum you should take a photo if you can and still contact DNR so they can be on the lookout for the Tegu.

“If you kill a Tegu, we need the carcass,” he said. “We send those to Georgia Southern where a necropsy is performed so we can see what that animal has been eating, if it was carrying parasites, and test for other genetic issues so we really need the carcasses of their animals.”