Nile Monitor Lizards in Florida

[Texas Star]

The Nile monitor lizard (Varanus niloticus) has established breeding populations in Florida. Like the Burmese python, pet owners freed enough of them to start this situation.

They eat pets and are probably dangerous to small children. I would not want to make one feel cornered, either. They are big, have a nasty bite, and an active tail that hurts to be hit by. I imagine that the bite is likely to become infected, from bacterial hazards in the animal's mouth.

I believe it's illegal to shoot them in Florida, at least in town, where discharge of a gun for any reason is illegal. Self defense is presumably an exception.

Do our Forida members know if they can be shot outside of town? Could a skilled archer shoot one in his yard in town?
Or is that considered animal cruelty by the bunny-huggers like PETA? Can you even shoot a bow at all in towns there? I mean outside of an archery range, of course.

Obviously, the archer (or spearman) would have to avoid injury to adjacent property, people, pets, etc.

But can you spear or arrow such exotic animals? I know they have odd laws about those pythons.

I'm hoping that if someone reasonably claims self defense or defense of a child, one can even shoot them?

 

[Gunslinger808]

I'd think as invasive species there would be no problem with culling them, but who knows anymore.

 

[srsmyth]

gunslinger -- I'm laughing so hard at that picture my eyes are watering.

 

[sipowicz]

But can you spear or arrow such exotic animals? I know they have odd laws about those pythons.

I'm hoping that if someone reasonably claims self defense or defense of a child, one can even shoot them?

With the stand your ground law you can shoot people pretty freely in Florida but the law makes no mention of reptiles, so if you encounter one, it's best to run.

 

[kwselke]

They taste like chicken.

 

[Sebago Son]

Illegal to shoot them? Hell. There should be a bounty.

 

[boatme99]

Illegal to shoot them? Hell. There should be a bounty.

There should be a bounty on the slack jawed morons that release non indigenous animals.

 

[gdnagle]

With the stand your ground law you can shoot people pretty freely in Florida but the law makes no mention of reptiles, so if you encounter one, it's best to run.

Warning shot first if the law passed.

There should be a bounty on the slack jawed morons that release non indigenous animals.

There should be a bounty on the slack jawed morons that were allowed to import them and on the one's that allowed it in the first place.

There are so many unwanted animals in this country already, why import non indigenous one's. I'm sure if someone absolutly has to have one they can move to the country they come from.

 

[Texas Star]

Bear in mind that apart from these reptiles, FL also has a big problem with breeding snakehead fish from Asia.

Their canals are full of them.

 

[sipowicz]

Florida has bigger problems than reptiles and fish....thousands of these come down from NY every year.

 

[Texas Star]

Florida has bigger problems than reptiles and fish....thousands of these come down from NY every year.

Yes, and it's changed Florida's political demogrphics, not for the better. Can't say more here. But those Yankee immigrants are indeed a real danger. And not just because they want a "soda" instead of a Coke or a pop...and drive at an advanced age.

 

[DeathGrip]

She looks like a charm.

Then there's the French Canadians and their Speedos. Oui?

 

[diamonback68]

Florida has bigger problems than reptiles and fish....thousands of these come down from NY every year.

You have no idea, defensive driving takes on a whole new meaning. Think Demolition Derby.

 

[Biginge]

I held one at bay with a weedeater just today. Not the lizard, the blue hair driving in my lane.

 

[DeathGrip]

Bear in mind that apart from these reptiles, FL also has a big problem with breeding snakehead fish from Asia.

Their canals are full of them.

I haven't caught one yet. They say there about a half an hour north.

I've caught plenty of Cichlids that don't belong here. They imported Peacock Bass from So.America to help eat the Oscars (from the pet trade) but they also provide lots of sport fishing and don't seem to hurt the local Large Mouth Bass population.

Go on line to Florida invasive species and see all of the goodies we contend with here in a Subtropical climate.

 

[Texas Star]

I wish that I could catch some of those peacock "bass", which are themselves cichlids, not sunfish like our freshwater "bass." I know that in South America, they come in a number of species.

I think the true bass are mostly saltwater fish, of the genus Roccus, unless it's changed in recent years. The white/sand bass is the freshwater member of this genus, although we now have a hybrid introduced in many lakes.

The monitor is hissing that we need to get back on topic.

Can anyone post images of the Nile monitor lizard? It gets to over seven feet, I believe, maybe more. It's smaller than the ultimate monitor, the Komodo dragon. But I'd rather not meet one in the flower bed.

 

[DeathGrip]

I wish that I could catch some of those peacock "bass", which are themselves cichlids, not sunfish like our freshwater "bass." I know that in South America, they come in a number of species.


The monitor is hissing that we need to get back on topic.

Yes they are Cichlids.


"The monitor is hissing" So bad its good.

I think your monitors will be found on the west coast of Fl.

The Pythons are about a half an hour south.

 

[jlrhiner]

Wait.......can we get the pythons to eat the monitors? (or vice-versa)

 

[Sebago Son]

"... and see all of the goodies we contend with here in a Subtropical climate."

"Nowhere else but Miami does Havana seem sooooo far away..."

 

[shouldazagged]

I'm all for punishing people who release pythons, Nile monitors and snakeheads. But I think the folks who sell these exotic horrors should be fed to them.

Same for the two varieties of Asian carp, the "jumping" carp that are taking over rivers and endangering boaters. Buzzing along in a fishing boat and getting hit in the chops by a leaping twenty- or forty-pound fish is very bad news.

I understand there are efforts to develop commercial fisheries for the silver and big-head carp, which apparently are very good table fare. Snakeheads are also said to be tasty.