Nile Monitor Lizards in Florida

[kudzu3]

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

From Florida they move half way back, and end up in north GA. Of course around here they are known as halfbacks. Not to steal the thread, but can anyone identify that car? NICE!

 

[M3Stuart]

Funny you should mention these.

Here are some pics of 'something'. Here's the story: I travel to Asia pretty regularly. I took these pictures from about the 20th floor of a hotel room in Kuala Lumpur in 2012. (The last pic is a gratuitous shot of the KL skyline taken recently in 2014.) I showed these pics of the 'thing' to the people in the office there; they said it was a 'river monitor' - but was the first they'd ever heard of such a thing. So I asked: "then how do you know that's what it is?" It could be a freshwater croc, alligator or some such thing? Nope - they said - we don't have those here. Really? Then what is it?

By the way: the name "Kuala Lumpur" means 'confluence of muddy rivers' in their language - Bahasa Malaya. So, yea, this river always looks like this.

So, yea, they DO exist - whatever 'they' are!

 

[Old TexMex]

Can't read this thread without thinking of Bob and Ray: "The Komodo Dragon is the world's largest living lizard."

Bob and Ray The Komodo Dragon - YouTube

Brilliant. Thanks, I hadn't thought of those guys in years, good stuff.

 

[Old TexMex]

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

The Silver Gran Marquis Onrampis Cloggeramus.
Avoid at all costs.

 

[cmort666]

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.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer is always kvetching about the danger of Asian carp, and my response has ALWAYS been, "Fish the hell out of them." As I recall, I thought I saw somebody on TV make some pretty good meals of them, including gumbo, I think. There are SO many things you could do with a species that you WANT to get rid of, it's not even funny. They could be everything from food fish to cat food, to fertilizer.

 

[cmort666]

I've got a 6' blowgun that shoots piano wire darts with cheap necklace beads for a tail. Seems like the perfect monitor lizard medicine.

 

[mstuhr]

There are these too!

Howdy,
Mary and I snuck away in the bad weather to the Keys and from Islamorada on south we saw gobs of these on the roadside.
I doubt they would hurt you but some were 4' or better.

Thanks
Mike

 

[MY15-22]

I wonder if I can skin that thing like a gator? I'll give it a try when they get over here. Bet they good to eat too.

 

[Stevens]

Those Iguanas are good to eat, I've had them several times in Guyana, in curry they even put some Iguana eggs in it. They are also eaten in Central America.
Steve W

 

[DeathGrip]

Those Iguanas are good to eat, I've had them several times in Guyana, in curry they even put some Iguana eggs in it. They are also eaten in Central America.
Steve W

There everywhere from Palm Beach south.

We also have a huge Central American population.

No one is eating them except the Vultures.

 

[Stevens]

Maybe the Central Americans are spoiled by McDonalds. Or more likely afraid the gringos will not appreciate them hunting down the "garrobos" and chopping them up in public.
Here's some more information on one entrepreneur who is making money on them.
Iguana Meat Consumption Growing in the United States

Steve W

 

[arjay]

My neighbor asked me to check on her house last summer when she was out of town.I had heard another neighbor had some sort of lizard that liked to sun itself on the first neighbors wood pile.Im thinking its some little 16" thing.Thought I just might have my first heart attack when I turned around and found myself staring at a 4' whatever it was!

 

[islamoradamark]

those Igunas get big, eat all your flowers and tomatos the skins can be used for all sorts of things, and yes alot of people eat them from south America. I did hear they contain several different kinds of salmonella, so wash your hand real good

 

[Comrad]

SSS....Shoot Shovel Shhh, the monitor that is, not the Q-tip driving the sweet sedan. Well, maybe on second thought...never mind.

 

[Rule3]

We have them here. No shooting due to being in the City Limits. They are nasty creatures. Very hard to find them and get a shot of fast enough. We have a trapping program which is useless. Much like Pythons and all the other invasive critters.

The Giant Iguanas are all over the Keys and outer Islands

We pay big money to have them live trapped and then euthanized humanly by freezing them.

The Q -Tip drivers are everywhere! Sorry no offense but that is their common name along scientific name, Snow Birds. There is no defense against them!

They have shifted means of transport from White Crown Vics to White Mini Vans with a scrunchy on the antenna to help find it in the parking lot.

 

[Rule3]

I suspect that if populations meet, pythons and monitor lizards will inded eat each other. I think the pythons already eat alligators of suitable size.
The alligators probably return the favor.

Still haven't heard from anyone in the affected area about laws pertaining to these animals.

Yes you can shoot them if in an area that shooting is allowed. No license or permit needed. Very very little chance of actually see one and getting a shot however.

One was on the local News. It was in a residential garage, Firefighters were called. you never say big brave Firefighters run so damn fast as it tried to nail them and escape from the garage. It rain across (as in on top of the water)the canal and was gone!

I like them better than Feral Cats, maybe they will eat those??

 

[Marshwheeling]

Up here we have a species called the Blind Lizard. They favor two-wheeled conveyances, and eschew four-wheelers. They inhabit the entire Twin Cities Metro, with a high concentration on Nicollet Island.

The Blind Lizards Motorcycle Club
The Nobody Motorcycle Club: BLIND LIZARD RALLY

 

[Faulkner]

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.

THIS is why we have so many laws and why our government is so engrained in our lives . . . the general population is too stupid to do the right thing on their own.

 

[ladyT]

Place bountys on them and they will soon disappear.

 

[Texas Star]

Howdy,
Mary and I snuck away in the bad weather to the Keys and from Islamorada on south we saw gobs of these on the roadside.
I doubt they would hurt you but some were 4' or better.

Thanks
Mike

That's just an iguana. Big, but seldom hurt people. I just read later posts and they are indeed eaten by people in Latin America. Maybe Centrl Americans in the USA can afford other food and they don't hunt the iguans.

All lizards, turtles, etc. may infect you with salmonella, as may chickens, which seem, like all birds, to be descended from reptiles. Wash your hands after handling and cooking eggs, to avoid salmonella, and cook chicken thoroughly.