8-foot-long carnivorous cat-eating lizards are invading Florida

Quote:The exotic pet trade has a way of introducing destructive and potentially dangerous creatures to places in which they don't belong, and Florida's sunny, warm climate makes for a perfect home for many of these invasive species.

Quote:...the Nile monitor lizard, a cousin of the most famous monitor lizard, the Komodo dragon, which has been spreading through the state since at least 1990.

Thousands are thought to be loose in parts of the state, but they have recently begun to appear in Palm Beach County, and officials are hoping they can eliminate the lizards in the area before they establish a firm toehold.

Wildlife officials armed with shotguns will be increasing patrols of Palm Beach County canals from once a month to four to six times a month to try to hunt the reptiles down, according to the Sun Sentinel. The plan is to catch or shoot the lizards on sight — they've got 20 in Palm Beach since July.

Quote:In addition to these massive lizards and the seemingly unstoppable pythons, poisonous lionfish are taking over Florida reefs.

Sounds like TV money disparities may be the least of your worries, Florida residents!

Mother nature has a way of catching up.

I need a couple of those monitors to take care of my neighbor's cats and little rat dogs.

I'm more concerned about the Burmese Python invasion of Florida that is slowly making it's way to Georgia.

(04-14-2015 10:13 AM)vandiver49 Wrote:  I'm more concerned about the Burmese Python invasion of Florida that is slowly making it's way to Georgia.

I agree, the exotic pet trade has really brought some bad changes to the ecology of Florida

(04-14-2015 10:13 AM)vandiver49 Wrote:  I'm more concerned about the Burmese Python invasion of Florida that is slowly making it's way to Georgia.

They won't be much of a problem north of Orlando, It gets too cold for them. Smaller ones do better hiding in cold weather, but even they won't make it thru typical south Ga winter. Most of them will stay in South Fla.

Alligators are cold-blooded just like these snakes and lizards. And they're found throughout much of the south.

(04-17-2015 09:07 PM)Marge Schott Wrote:  Alligators are cold-blooded just like these snakes and lizards. And they're found throughout much of the south.

Except the alligators are native. Any time you introduce a non-native creature, the natural cycle is all screwed up.