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Posted by W von Papineäu on March 16, 2003 at 20:45:33:
While Des is away, Wes will play ... la-di-dah-di-dah ...
MIAMI HERALD (Florida) 16 March 03 Here lizard, lizard: Green iguanas making a home in South Florida (Scott Andron)
They're invading our suburbs, eating our shrubbery, sunning themselves on our fairways, swimming in our pools -- and they're multiplying. Green iguanas, a species of Central American lizard that can grow as long as six feet, are making themselves at home in Broward County.
Originally brought here as pets, thousands of the animals are now living in the ''wild'' in places like Pembroke Pines and Plantation, Davie and Dania Beach.
A colony of about 100 has been reported living in wetlands off Interstate 95 next to the International Game Fish Association Fishing Hall of Fame in Dania Beach. A smaller clan can be found most afternoons munching on the grass along Taft Street in an older section of Pembroke Pines.
All of these lizards are believed to be the descendants of pets that escaped or were set loose by owners who grew tired of them. As vegetarians, they're usually not dangerous -- unless you happen to be a hibiscus flower. But their habit of eating suburban landscaping makes some people consider them a pest.
And with South Florida's sunny, reptile-friendly climate and no natural predators, the iguanas are thriving here. They're a part of a larger pattern of foreign animals, known as ''exotic invasive species'' moving to the region and, sometimes, making a nuisance of themselves.
As pets, iguanas require a commitment of money and time. They need to be fed, taken to the vet, and cleaned up after. But many owners lose interest and set them free, a fact that upsets committed iguana owners.
''They see how much the vet bills are, and they let them go,'' said Jon Meyer, a Pembroke Pines college student who has owned a three-foot iguana nammed Little Foot for about two years. ``Then they reproduce and have 50 or 60 eggs.''
Releasing a non-native species into the wild is illegal in Florida, but the law is almost impossible to enforce.
Little Foot lives in a large, split-level cage in Meyer's bedroom, with an ultraviolet lamp to provide heat and a full plate of fruit and lettuce for sustenance.
Wild iguanas aren't quite so lucky, although they do well in South Florida's leaf-rich subtropical climate. They love to eat plants, especially berries, fruits, and flowers. They consider red and yellow hibiscus a delicacy.
Sometimes that makes them a pest. For example, until recently, a group of about 300 iguanas had been eating up the flowers in the gardens at Crandon Park on Key Biscayne
Kevin Enge, a herpetologist (reptile specialist) with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, visited the park a few months ago and saw a group of the lizards grazing on the park's grass.
''They're just out there, like a bunch of little green cows,'' Enge said.
Park manager Kevin M. Kirwin said the cold weather this winter thinned the herd considerably. But in the meantime, the park has recruited a University of Florida scientist to study the problem with an eye toward long-term solutions.
Iguanas prefer to live where trees and plants are plentiful, especially near a body of water. In South Florida, they are often found in the brush along canals.
When temperatures drop, however, they become more visible. As cold-blooded animals, they depend on outside sources of heat. That's why they are often seen sunning on driveways and fairways.
In fact, South Florida's climate is one of the reasons why the state has become a national mecca for exotic species of all types. Wildlife officials have documented more than 200 species of non-native animals living outside captivity across the state. Many are reproducing. They include several dozen species of parrots, numerous lizards, three types of snakes (including boa constrictors), a type of Mexican crocodile, and three types of monkeys.
The monkeys include two groups near Ocala in North Florida, possibly descended from the animals used in old Tarzan movies, which were filmed there.
But the exotics seem to be concentrated in South Florida, a fact state officials attribute to the climate and the fact that many exotic pets enter the United States through local ports.
Iguanas are one of the most successful exotic animals in adapting to South Florida. They breed like scaly, green rabbits. A female can lay 50 to 100 or more eggs at a time, normally once a year. Breeding season is now.
Ross Fischer, head veterinarian at the Wildlife Care Center in Fort Lauderdale, said iguanas used to be a rarity in Broward. Now, hundreds are living in Snyder Park, across from the center. The nonprofit center treats about five or six injured iguanas a week, but the numbers can triple during the winter, Fischer said.
''When it gets cold, they literally just fall out of the trees,'' he said.
Surprisingly, however, wildlife experts don't believe iguanas are crowding out any native species. In contrast, the Cuban brown anole, a type of small lizard, seems to be taking the ecological niche that used to be filled by native green anoles. Similarly, in the plant kingdom, melaleuca trees are crowding out native species.
Wildlife experts are concerned about this kind of thing because once a species is established, it can be hard to get rid of. Nationally, several federal agencies have formed a task force to address invasive exotics. Closer to home, state wildlife officials are compiling a list of species they want to keep out, such as piranha and a large lizard called the Nile monitor. Unlike iguanas, the monitors are meat eaters and their diet ranges from sea turtle eggs to small pets.
The nonprofit Florida Aquarium in Tampa recently started an exhibit called ''Invasives! Florida's Most Unwanted Species,'' which includes an iguana.
If iguanas are making a nuisance of themselves in your neighborhood, you may as well get used to it.
No government agency will come out and remove iguanas for you unless they are sick or injured. You could call a private pest-removal company, however.
The Fort Lauderdale office of Critter Control gets a handful of calls a year about iguanas, employee Michelle Souza said. Many callers are afraid of the lizards.
''When someone sees a six-foot iguana in the backyard, they're afraid of them,'' Souza said. ``They look prehistoric.''
But most people accept it when Souza assures them that the iguanas are harmless. Iguanas usually run away from people. They attack only if cornered, usually lashing out with their tails or possibly biting. They can't carry rabies.
Nevertheless, some people still want them removed, Souza said, especially if the lizards are eating the landscaping. Unfortunately, iguanas don't respond well to traps and often need to be caught the old-fashioned way -- by a guy with a net.
That's no easy task when you consider that they can run 20 or 25 mph, said Fischer, the wildlife veterinarian.
That's another reason to leave them alone, Fischer said.
''A lot of people try to make a big deal about the wild iguanas,'' he said. ``Just let them be. Personally, I like seeing them. They're another unique species here in South Florida.''
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