Georgia officials are asking the public to help them track 4-foot long, invasive lizards [View all]

Georgia officials are working to completely eradicate a lizard they say poses a major threat to some of the state's native wildlife: the Argentine black and white tegus.

John Jensen, a biologist with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Conservation Section, said the lizard can grow up to about four feet in size and can eat "just about anything they want."

Biologists believe the lizards are in Georgia's Toombs and Tattnall counties. The lizards are native to South America, the department says on their website, weigh about 10 pounds and live up to 20 years. And they multiply fast. They don't have a lot of predators and females can lay about 35 eggs in a year, the department said.

Jensen said the department is asking the public to report any sightings of the reptile in order to aid their efforts to track and eradicate the lizards. "If you are able to safely and humanely dispatch of the animal, we encourage that and we want that information too," Jensen said.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/14/us/georgia-invasive-lizard-trnd/index.html