It was just another normal morning for Renee Orland…until she looked out her car window and saw a lizard the size of an alligator.
what happened?
Oran’s eyes did not deceive her. She called the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to report the find; after she shared a video of the lizard, they agreed it was likely an Asian water monitor, the Miami Herald reported.
In the video, Oran can be heard telling her daughter to stay in the car. “He was huge…he was like strutting across the street,” she said in amazement.
This isn’t the first example of monitor lizards in Florida; the Herald explains they came to the state years ago through the exotic pet trade. After some of these people escaped captivity, they were able to take advantage of Florida’s many canals as shelter and expand their populations.
“Why…would anyone treat it as a pet?” one person commented on the video, looking confused.
Why are invasive species so harmful?
While the sinuous lizard looks relatively harmless, invasive species like this one can cause massive damage to an ecosystem. From directly consuming native birds and small animals to disrupting food chains and usurping resources, invasive species cause a host of direct and indirect harm.
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“I wonder how many outdoor cats and lost pets become dinner for these gluttons,” Oran said, according to the Herald.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says monitor lizards can grow up to 8 feet long, describing them as “tropical, semi-aquatic” predators that will eat anything “they can overwhelm.”
Other states are dealing with similar troubling infections. New York has had to eradicate giant African snails several times over the past few years. Not only does it consume plants, but it also spreads disease. Michigan has been facing an invasion of nightmarish lampreys, fish that suck the blood of other fish. Japanese beetles continue to threaten Midwestern shrublands.
What are we doing about this?
Like Oran, residents who see invasive species are encouraged to call their local invasive species hotline.
While the Asian water monitor is allowed as a pet in Florida, its close relative, the Nile monitor, is illegal to keep, so advocates have reason to hope the Asian monitor will soon follow suit.
Local and state governments have taken different approaches to different types of invasive species. For example, in states with invasive catfish, eating them has become a widely adopted tactic. In New York, every resident knows to kill spotted lanternflies immediately. Reducing even one invasive individual can solve the problem and save the lives of native species.
