The Tegu Problem: Exotic Lizard Is Legal But Poses Threat To Everglades (and other herps. They…invade the nests of crocodiles and alligators, consuming the eggs. They invade gopher tortoise burrows and eat young tortoises.”) – via Herp Digest

Sun-Sentinel.com, 1/7/17, by David Flesher 

Anyone can buy an Argentine black and white tegu lizard for less than $200 at exotic pets stores in Deerfield Beach, Miami and other cities.

But down in the Everglades, state wildlife officers are trapping and killing those same South American reptiles as nuisance animals. The escaped and released pets are chomping their way through bird and turtle nests and threatening to spread around the state.

A Miami state senator has introduced a bill to pay for hunters to go into the Everglades of Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties to kill tegus, which can reach a length of four feet. But despite calls to ban sales to the public, the state wildlife commission says it is not contemplating any restrictions.

Like Burmese pythons, green iguanas and other non-native species that have established themselves in Florida, tegus in the wild are a by-product of the exotic pet business. Unlike Burmese pythons, they can tolerate cold, which means that can spread farther than pythons. And unlike pythons, they can still be bought at Florida pet stores or purchased over the internet for shipment to a Florida address.

Kate McFall, Florida director for the Humane Society of the United States, which has gone to court to restrict reptile imports, says banning sales would be more effective than mounting an elaborate hunting campaign.

"Kudos to the lawmaker for trying to do something to address this, but this seems more like a recreational opportunity to hunt them," she said. "Banning them would make a lot more sense. We've learned our lesson in Florida from other species.”

Tegus are native to Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina. There are two known breeding populations: one around Homestead in southern Miami-Dade County, where there have been more than 2,000 sightings; the other in Hillsborough County, where the number is less than 200, according to a database operated by the University of Georgia's Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health.

About two dozen have been spotted in Broward and Palm Beach counties, but they are thought to be isolated released pets, not a breeding population.

As non-picky eaters that grow big enough to discourage all but the largest predators, tegus have treated Florida as a vast buffet table. They eat fruit, vegetables, insects and lizards and love dog and cat food. They invade the nests of ground-nesting birds, crocodiles and alligators, consuming the eggs. They invade gopher tortoise burrows and eat young tortoises.

"Tegus negatively impact native wildlife because they compete with them for both food and habitat," said Carli Segelson, spokeswoman for the state wildlife commission. "Tegus are generalist feeders and can eat a wide variety of prey items.”

The silver lining in the case of Burmese pythons is they may not be able to survive year-round much farther north than their current habitat in the Everglades. Biologists are still debating the northern limits of their range.

But tegus can survive temperatures as low as 35 degrees, theoretically opening up much of the southern United States to colonization.

With concern about the tegu growing, state Sen. Frank Artiles, R-Miami, has introduced a bill to fund teams of hunters to go after them.

The bill calls for spending $300,000 a year for each of the next two years in a part of the Everglades managed by the state called the Everglades and Francis S. Taylor Wildlife Management Area.

It covers much of the Everglades of western Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties. The bill also calls for seeking permission from the National Park Service to send hunters into Everglades National Park.

Michael Barrera, owner of Snakes at Sunset, said such spending would be unnecessary because people would catch them for free if the United States would loosen export restrictions.

A market for tegus exists in China, Indonesia and other countries as pets, food and sources of leather. He said he would offer trappers bounties, if it were legal, so he could obtain them and export them.

"If they want to catch and sell tens of thousands or whatever number they claim is out there overseas and out of our hair they should let the permit process be a lot faster for those animals because they could be exported every month by the thousands," he said.

You Won't Believe The Weird Sea Creature Mark Quartiano Caught Off Miami Beach

Imagine going fishing off the coast of Miami -- and instead catching a rare and massive beast that appears straight from the Mesozoic era (or all of our nightmares).

The well-known shark fisherman who snared the 800-pound sea creature below told ABC News it was like "a dinosaur."

“It was very old. It had barnacles all over it,” said Captain Mark Quartiano, a controversial charter boat operator known as "Mark the Shark."

Continued, video and picture

Giant African Land Snails Invading Miami: 117,000 Caught So Far (PHOTOS, VIDEO)

By Barbara Liston

ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) - South Florida is fighting a growing infestation of one of the world's most destructive invasive species: the giant African land snail, which can grow as big as a rat and gnaw through stucco and plaster.

More than 1,000 of the mollusks are being caught each week in Miami-Dade and 117,000 in total since the first snail was spotted by a homeowner in September 2011, said Denise Feiber, a spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

Residents will soon likely begin encountering them more often, crunching them underfoot as the snails emerge from underground hibernation at the start of the state's rainy season in just seven weeks, Feiber said.

The snails attack "over 500 known species of plants ... pretty much anything that's in their path and green," Feiber said.

In some Caribbean countries, such as Barbados, which are overrun with the creatures, the snails' shells blow out tires on the highway and turn into hurling projectiles from lawnmower blades, while their slime and excrement coat walls and pavement.

"It becomes a slick mess," Feiber said.

Continued:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/15/giant-african-land-snails-miami-117000_n_3079741.html?utm_hp_ref=weird-news&ir=Weird%20News

Florida's Shoot-To-Kill Order On Crocodile

Update on recent Florida Nile crocodile report:

Florida wildlife officials have issued a rare shoot-to-kill order in the hunt for a young and potentially dangerous Nile crocodile on the loose near Miami.

The Nile crocodile, which hails from Africa, can jump higher, run faster and grow to nearly 20 feet in length, several feet larger than its American cousin, and has a "nastier" temperament.

And while the American crocodile stays near saltwater like mangroves and estuaries, the Nile crocodile prefers freshwater, making it more likely to come in contact with humans.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) officials said the Nile crocodile on the loose is thought to be around three feet long.

The commission is investigating where the crocodile came from, although experts said it most likely escaped "from a facility or a local breeder", probably as a hatchling.

Reptile expert and wrangler Joe Wasilewski said: "They get big. They're vicious. The animals are just more aggressive and they learn that humans are easy targets."

He described the American crocodile as a "gentle animal", adding: "They're more fish eaters. They don't consider humans a prey source."

Only FWC agents are authorised to kill the Nile crocodile at large. If it is caught alive, it will be put down.

A team of agents led by Frank Mazzotti, a University of Florida professor of wildlife ecology, has spent more than 1,000 hours searching by boats and on foot in the canal where the reptile was last seen.

Continued:  http://uk.news.yahoo.com/floridas-shoot-kill-order-crocodile-024322527.html

Miami Roofers Discover Massive Bat Colony In One Roof

Think about how many houses in South Florida have roofs with barrel tiles. Now imagine that each one contains thousands of squealing bats.

In the video above, Miami roofers discover a particularly dense roosting area for bats. As noted by Buzzfeed, it conjures up visions of Temple of Doom.

Bats are quite common in Florida. Local pest removal companies cite the most common types are the Brazilian, or Mexican Free-Tail Bat, and the Evening Bat.

According to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says, as bats' natural habitats disappear, they're more likely to settle in places like roof titles. And when this video was taken in July, bats nestle in crevices to give birth and nurture their young.

As cringe worthy as these flying mammals are, it's illegal to kill bats in Florida because they are a very necessary part of our local ecosystem. The FWC reports that a single bat can eat up to 3,000 insects a night. Come mosquito season in July, you'll be wishing for your very own bat infestation.

See below for a close-up shot of one of the little bats at minute 1:05. (The FWC says that bats are very fragile and remind Floridians to avoid handling them.)

See videos here:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/22/miami-roofers-bats_n_1221915.html

Donald Mason, Miami Man Found Dead Inside Home Full Of Bees

A teenage girl found her father dead inside his home that was infested with thousands of bees living inside the walls, report the Miami Herald.

Donald Mason, 49, was found in the upstairs bedroom of a Miami home that he was renovating. Investigators have not determined the cause of death, but his brother told the paper, Mason fell from a chair while swatting at a swarm of bees and hit his head.

Mason was trying to renovate the home on a limited budget and had tried to fog spray the hive in the wall, and then tried to patch up the hole in the wall with tape.

Police told the Herald that Mason's death is considered unclassified, but it's more likely his death was due to the fall, rather than anything to do with the bees.

Willie Sklaroff, also known as 'the bee man,' who runs a bee extermination company was called into help and said there were at leas 60,000 bees living inside the walls of the house, reports Local10.com.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/06/miami-man-found-dead-inside-home-full-of-bees_n_1078677.html?ref=weird-news

Snakes and tortoises found in pants of Miami man attempting to board plane

A man in Miami was arrested after transport security officials discovered multiple snakes and tortoises hidden in his pants.

Staff at Miami International Airport found seven exotic snakes and three tortoises stuffed in nylon bags as they used a millimeter wave machine to scan an image of the passenger.

Intending to take a flight from Miami to Brazil, the unidentified passenger was detained while the animals were removed from his trousers and taken away by the US Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The man was later arrested for illegal tracking of wildlife.

The wildlife smuggling industry makes, on average, the equivalent of £6 billion a year, transporting already endangered species.

In 2009 a man was caught smuggling three iguanas by placing them in his hollow prosthetic leg, while in 2007 one man went as far as to send two giant butterflies to his customer by post.

http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/873895-man-tries-to-smuggle-snakes-and-tortoises-onto-plane-in-his-pants