Anyone here into Reptiles need help ID this reptile?

[KungFubar]

It's called responsibility. We all have the same responsibilities in this respect. You have the opportunity to help mitigate damage to your community. You don't have to kill it. There are tons of options. It's just that pretending it's either not a problem or simply not your problem is irresponsible...


And newsflash, there are unpleasant people out there that would do you harm. There are also relatively decent people who have to do somewhat unpalatable things in order to keep that from happening. Don't take your idealism too far, man. Stay grounded in reality. Don't rest on your privileged laurels.


Done....

you simply refuse to answer my questions. Why? Do the answers not support your position?

[Syn7]

You are asking me to explain basic evolutionary principles. Do your own homework or bury your head in the sand, your call... I guess...

[KungFubar]

You are asking me to explain basic evolutionary principles. Do your own homework or bury your head in the sand, your call... I guess...

You wish I was asking you to explain something too complex for a forum post but I am not. I am asking for a few simple examples of what negative consequences this lizard creates in our environment.

You have an opinion. Please support it. Otherwise.. well you know how that short rhyme goes. heheh

Should I do homework to support YOUR opinion? I also asked the wildlife guy the same question I asked you. I will post it and see how it compares to yours.

[Syn7]

I did tell you what the negative consequences were. And your local conservation officer told you the same thing. What exactly are you looking for? A peer reviewed series of studies explaining the negative consequences of introducing invasive species to your local ecosystem? You have google. I gave you the facts. It's quite clear you have already made up your mind.

[Syn7]

and yes what you are asking is complex. If you knew what you were talking about you would understand that. There is a reason why we do what we can to prevent these things that are our fault. It takes many MANY generations to build up natural defences to invasive species. If you want to be a true humanitarian, buy this thing a first class ticket home where it can multiply and be fruitful amongst it's own and not screw it's ecosystem.

[GoldenBrain]

somoene said bait it with fruit, it may not have been you.

I was the one that said bait it with a fruits and veggies. It's mostly a herbivore but will eat small insects on occasions. I agree that it's an invasive species but unlike the monitor it's not one that directly competes with other lizards in FL since it eats mostly veggies. This is only my opinion. I understand your feelings about not harming this creature but humans did introduce it so it would be well within your moral compass to dispatch this fella if you felt the need. With that said I'd prolly leave it alone as well since I don't think fruit/veggie eating iguanas directly compete with the local wildlife. Again, that's only my opinion so I'd suggest you defer to the opinion of the wildlife expert you are corresponding with.

[mickey]

Well,

Humans eat fruits and vegetables. So, it competes with us.

Let us adorn it with a honied lemon-lime and pineapple glaze.

mickey

[SoCo KungFu]

Pattern seems to match the spiny tail iguana but what about the crest. This lizard has no crest, is that because it is young and then later it will get the crest?

Either its very young or female. Like most lizards, iguanas are sexually dimorphic.

[SoCo KungFu]

Are they insanely invasive like their green friends?



I hear that in PR you can't walk 3 feet w/o stepping on one.

They aren't as invasive as the greens. But they have a similar story. Like most crap in FL, they were brought in via pet trade. They don't get quite as big as the greens. But in general, herbivorous reptiles get bigger than carnivorous (the obvious exceptions being varanids and crocodiliads).

[SoCo KungFu]

You wish I was asking you to explain something too complex for a forum post but I am not. I am asking for a few simple examples of what negative consequences this lizard creates in our environment.

You have an opinion. Please support it. Otherwise.. well you know how that short rhyme goes. heheh

Should I do homework to support YOUR opinion? I also asked the wildlife guy the same question I asked you. I will post it and see how it compares to yours.

Destruction of agriculture (its herbivorous). Destruction of native plant life. Possible vector for pathogens to native fauna. Displacement of native species from natural habitat. Those are just a few related to this particular animal.

In a more broad sense of invasive species as a whole...

Destruction of property. Increased costs of land management and utilities. For example, American crayfish clog up sewage lines in France. Invasive crabs and crayfish form burrows in foreign territories that destroy land bordering the water line. This increases erosion of shoreline, destroys habitat for local species including spawning grounds for many economically important fish, and raises the cost of land maintenance thus increasing property taxes and such to manage upkeep.

Furthermore, they can either pray on things in ways which are out of balance with native species. This can lead to spikes in nuisance animals. For example, more mosquitoes. This lizard will dominate land that was once held by smaller native lizards. Iguanids don't eat bugs. But smaller carnivorous lizards do. This could potentially spike mosquito populations if such lizards establish in an area. More mosquitoes means more incidence of disease like west nile which increases health costs.

[SoCo KungFu]

You're not likely to lure this into a trap with bait. For one, foliage doesn't exactly carry smell like meat would. You're best bet would be the same as any other herp. Set out a large sheet of tin someplace in the yard that dogs, cats or children won't mess with. It would preferably be in an open spot a bit away from tree line that would provide alternate shelter. Herps use cover tins for shelter and to thermoregulate. Leave it alone for a couple weeks. Then start checking it before the sun gets too hot in the morning and at evening after temps go down. Mid day nothing will be under it because it will be too hot.

When you check it, stand on one end and lift the tin from the side opposing (lifting away from you side) to keep the tin between you and whatever is under it. You can use a rake or hoe if you're concerned. Reason is, it will attract all kinds of stuff in the yard, including any snakes that could be dangerous.

If you get it and really don't want to kill it, google a herp breeder in the area that does spiny tails. There are some in FL and they will pay a good price for a healthy wild one to have as a breeder to refresh their genetic diversity. A good breeder will take care of it, otherwise you're going to have to kill it.

[KungFubar]

Now that's a decent answer, thanks.

Now with this sheet of metal, what dimensions does it have to be and also, should I just lay it flat on the grass?

[Syn7]

Well I'm glad you like being spoon fed, but he didn't say anything you couldn't have found yourself in like 3 seconds as evidenced by this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasive_species

[SoCo KungFu]

Now that's a decent answer, thanks.

Now with this sheet of metal, what dimensions does it have to be and also, should I just lay it flat on the grass?

Big enough for the lizard with a 1.5 to 2ft or so to spare. I can't give you an exact answer because I don't know exactly how big it is. But roughly big enough to hide under with room to move. Yes, just lay it out on the grass. Unless you have a decent spot that's bare. If you cover grass, it will kill that spot. Really though, this probably won't work anyways. And by next year, it will be too big.

If you have a dog, it will have a better chance than you. Of course that means it (the iguana) will likely be killed.

[Syn7]

Do you think that if it was a pet that it will find a mate anyways? Prolly just live solo then die when it's ready anyways... no? I would be more likely to be concerned if I saw multiples. Know what I mean?

There's gotta be an established way to trap these guys reliably though? Or is it a sit on your porch with a weapon scenario?

We don't really have lizards here. Salamanders, but nothing much bigger. Lots of snakes though, but nothing threatening. And not hard to find and catch if you can get to em before they go to ground.

We have had a few of those snakehead sightings. Kind of alarming. They drained a whole pond because somebody said they saw one. Found a bunch of non natives, but nothing invasive. Mostly turtles. Pets, I imagine. But those snakeheads can be a serious problem. Mos def a kill on sight kind of deal. I hear they are a real problem on the east coast of the US.


I usually have a live and let live policy, but there is a red line. I will catch and release "undesirables" like spiders and stuff. I don't mind sharing my living space with the odd ant or whatever, but when you start finding them all up in your food and stuff, that's when it's time to take more aggressive action. Otherwise I don't really mind. I know how to share. But it's a whole different thing when it comes to non native invasives that are doing damage in one way or another.