Georgia’s Invasion Warning: Argentine Tegu Lizards Now Spotted in 30 Counties as Warm Winters Fuel Rapid Spread
SAVANNAH, GA — In a stark warning to residents and wildlife officials, a new ecological forecast predicts that the invasive Argentine tegu lizard, already established in 30 Georgia counties, will expand its range across the entire southern half of the state within the next decade. The georgia argentine tegu invasive crisis, initially concentrated in Toombs and Tattnall counties, is accelerating due to increasingly mild winters—a direct consequence of climate change. Experts now warn that these voracious, egg-eating reptiles, reaching up to four feet in length, could decimate populations of native ground-nesting birds, turtles, and small mammals, threatening Georgia's agricultural and ecosystem stability. State wildlife agencies are scrambling to launch a $1.5 million targeted trapping and public-reporting blitz, but futurists predict that without a massive eradication campaign, the tegu will become as ubiquitous as the armadillo, reshaping backyards and rural landscapes by 2035.