The US Department of Natural Resources has warned the public about the invasive species of the overo lizard in its Toombs and Tattnall counties. It is a lizard from Argentina that, according to a representative of the organization in a video published on YouTube, “eats almost everything he wants, be it plants or animals.”
Authorities are concerned about the reptile’s presence in the wild, as it may endanger native species, including the protected Florida turtle, by consuming its eggs and displacing them from their burrows.
To prevent population growth, the Department asks people to report sightings of these lizards or to kill them if they can, “safely and humanely.” Overos lizards also live as pets in some homes, and authorities urge that they not be released once their owners no longer wish to have them, but instead be released to reptile adoption groups.
The warning about this animal, which according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission can grow up to a meter and lay up to 35 eggs annually during its life of about 20 years, comes shortly after they were first observed. In the U.S.A. Asian hornets, which are dangerous to honey bees and capable of causing human death are a rising threat too.
