Georgia's War on the Giant Invading Lizards: 5 Shocking Facts About the Argentine Tegu
- **They're escapees from the pet trade:** These black-and-white lizards, which can grow up to 4 feet long, are not native to Georgia. They were originally brought to the U.S. as exotic pets, but many either escaped or were illegally released into the wild, creating a breeding population in the state's southern counties.
- **They attack chicken eggs and turtle nests:** Argentine tegus are voracious omnivores with a destructive appetite. They actively dig up sea turtle and gopher tortoise nests to eat the eggs, posing a direct threat to Georgia’s endangered and native species.
- **Georgia is paying you to hunt them:** The Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has launched a "Tegu Trapping Hotline" and actively encourages landowners to trap and humanely euthanize these invaders. Some local hunting groups are even offering bounties for their removal.
- **They can survive Georgia winters (for now):** While tegus are native to South America, they are surprisingly adaptable. They hibernate in burrows during cold months, which allows them to survive the mild winters in coastal Georgia, making their eradication extremely difficult.
- **They bite and carry salmonella:** These powerful lizards have a strong bite that can cause serious injury to pets and humans. On top of that, they are known carriers of salmonella bacteria, meaning any contact requires immediate sanitation to avoid infection.