{"id":69061,"date":"2026-06-05T21:44:57","date_gmt":"2026-06-06T01:44:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/?p=69061"},"modified":"2026-06-05T21:45:07","modified_gmt":"2026-06-06T01:45:07","slug":"neighbors-on-alert-as-invasive-tegu-lizards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/2026\/06\/05\/neighbors-on-alert-as-invasive-tegu-lizards\/","title":{"rendered":"Neighbors on alert as invasive Tegu lizards"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Local officials and wildlife experts are urging Central Florida residents to stay vigilant following fresh reports of invasive Argentine black and white tegus<\/strong> spreading into local neighborhoods. Dundee Mayor Jack Berry recently issued an alert confirming multiple sightings of these large reptiles within the local community, highlighting the ongoing struggle to contain them in Polk County.<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Originally introduced to Florida through the exotic pet trade, these South American native lizards have established multiple breeding populations across the state and are slowly pushing further inland and northward.<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Tegus Are a Major Concern<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While tegus are generally docile toward humans unless cornered or provoked, they present a massive ecological threat to Florida\u2019s native wildlife.<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Voracious Egg Predators:<\/strong> Tegus are highly efficient nest raiders. They eagerly dig up and consume the eggs of ground-nesting birds, American alligators, and sea turtles.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Threat to Threatened Species:<\/strong> They frequently invade the deep burrows of gopher tortoises\u2014a protected species in Florida\u2014to consume both their eggs and vulnerable hatchlings.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • High Reproductive Rates:<\/strong> A single mature female can lay an average of 35 eggs a year, meaning localized populations can expand rapidly if left unchecked.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Winter Resiliency:<\/strong> Unlike some tropical reptiles that die off in cold snaps, tegus are capable of brumation (a state similar to hibernation). They burrow underground to survive the winter months, allowing them to thrive further north than green iguanas.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    How to Protect Your Property<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    If you want to keep your yard from becoming a sanctuary for roaming tegus, state wildlife officials recommend taking a few immediate preventative steps:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • Bring Pet Food Inside:<\/strong> Tegus have an excellent sense of smell and are heavily drawn to bowls of cat or dog food left out on porches or in yards.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Clear Yard Debris:<\/strong> Heavy brush, rock piles, hollow logs, and low-hanging tarps provide perfect artificial burrowing spots for these reptiles. Keep your lawn clear and open.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Secure Low Openings:<\/strong> Block off access under sheds, mobile homes, and elevated porches where a large lizard might try to build a den.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      What to Do If You See One<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      Argentine black and white tegus are classified as a prohibited invasive species in Florida.<\/sup> While they are legally unprotected (except by basic anti-cruelty laws) and can be humanely killed on private property with landowner permission, residents are strongly advised not to try and handle a wild tegu<\/strong>.<\/sup> They possess strong jaws, sharp claws, and a powerful tail whip, all of which can deliver a severe bite or injury.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Instead, document the encounter immediately:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n
      1. Take a photo or video<\/strong> from a safe distance to confirm the species.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      2. Note the exact location<\/strong>, date, and time of day.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      3. Report the sighting<\/strong> to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) by calling the Exotic Species Hotline at 1-888-Ive-Got1<\/strong> (1-888-483-4681) or logging it online at IveGot1.org<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        Local officials and wildlife experts are urging Central Florida residents to stay vigilant following fresh reports of invasive Argentine black and white tegus spreading into local neighborhoods. Dundee Mayor Jack… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":69062,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"wpai_generated_summary":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"{title}\n\n{excerpt}\n\n{url}","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"dois","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":true,"token":"eyJpbWciOiJodHRwczpcL1wvaTAud3AuY29tXC9sYWtlbGFuZGdhemV0dGUuaW5mb1wvbmV3c1wvd3AtY29udGVudFwvdXBsb2Fkc1wvMjAyNlwvMDZcL2ltYWdlcy0xLndlYnA_Zml0PTM4NyUyQzI1OCZzc2w9MSIsInR4dCI6Ik5laWdoYm9ycyBvbiBhbGVydCBhcyBpbnZhc2l2ZSBUZWd1IGxpemFyZHMiLCJ0ZW1wbGF0ZSI6ImRvaXMiLCJmb250IjoiIiwiYmxvZ19pZCI6MTYzMDQwNjYxfQ.urAw2BZl-mlBXoNc7AOp2YbePafwCHcMD0hBndtxVTsMQ"},"version":2,"media_source":"sig","attached_media":[{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/jetpack.com\/redirect\/?source=sigenerate&query=t%3DeyJpbWciOiJodHRwczpcL1wvbGFrZWxhbmRnYXpldHRlLmluZm9cL25ld3NcL3dwLWNvbnRlbnRcL3VwbG9hZHNcLzIwMjZcLzA2XC9pbWFnZXMtMS53ZWJwIiwidHh0IjoiTmVpZ2hib3JzIG9uIGFsZXJ0IGFzIGludmFzaXZlIFRlZ3UgbGl6YXJkcyIsInRlbXBsYXRlIjoiZG9pcyIsImZvbnQiOiIiLCJibG9nX2lkIjoxNjMwNDA2NjF9.SIECMUAshrpwDiqe1ybIJe4P-W38ZnvTTISlXzvEGcEMQ","type":"image\/jpeg"}]},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[14],"tags":[14784],"class_list":["post-69061","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-neighbors-on-alert-as-invasive-tegu-lizards"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69061","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69061"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69061\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":69063,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69061\/revisions\/69063"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/69062"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69061"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69061"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69061"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}