Nile monitor lizards in Florida

A report confirmed the presence of Nile monitor lizards in Florida, a carnivorous lizard big enough to eat pet like cats. According to the report, the Africa-based animal is now in South Florida.

FFW officers said that breeding season will star soon hence they expect more sightings of the lizards. The FFW is planning to kill Nile monitor lizards that they will caught.

“We have found that the population hasn’t spread very far from the C-51 Canal, and if we increase the pressure, we might be able to eradicate them, ” Jenny Ketterlin Eckles, non-native wildlife biologist for the FFW said during an interview.

According to FFW, an adult Nile monitor lizards can grow as long as five feet and can be as heavy as 15 pounds. Palm Beach County can be their breeding ground because the county is along the canal banks near Southern Boulevard. Some people used to breed them as pets but some escaped and became invasive species.

In Africa where they naturally came from, Nile monitor lizards prey on cats.

Nile monitor lizards are not aggressive toward humans but when threatened, these species can use their sharp claws to defend themselves.