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Wildlife officials are warning that tegu – a South American lizard that can grow up to the size of a dog – continue to spread across the Southeast. The Argentine black-and-white tegu is an invasive animal that has spread to Georgia and South Carolina but has also been reported in Alabama. The lizards, which can grow up to 10 pounds and 4-feet long, are “voracious invaders,” according to National Geographic and, once established in an area, it’s hard to control the spread. Once established tegu will eat just about anything – birds, reptiles, fruits and vegetables. They also like eggs,...

The tegu is 4 feet long with an appetite that could possibly tip the ecological applecart. OCALA NATIONAL FOREST - As if the latest reports of Burmese pythons, monitor lizards and Cuban tree frogs crawling around Florida are not enough to creep you out, there's a scary new invader in town.It's an exotic lizard called a tegu, a 4-foot-long reptile from Argentina with sharp claws and a voracious appetite for meat that could possibly tip the ecological applecart. One was spotted last week in Ocala National Forest, a place teeming with campers, swimmers and hikers.Forest officials said the black-and-white critter...

OCALA, Fla. — As if the latest reports of Burmese pythons, monitor lizards and Cuban tree frogs crawling around Florida are not enough to creep you out, there's a scary new invader in town. It's an exotic lizard called a tegu, a 4-foot-long reptile from Argentina with sharp claws and a voracious appetite for meat that could possibly tip the ecological applecart. One was spotted last week in Ocala National Forest, a place teeming with campers, swimmers and hikers.

OCALA, Fla. — As if the latest reports of Burmese pythons, monitor lizards and Cuban tree frogs crawling around Florida are not enough to creep you out, there's a scary new invader in town. It's an exotic lizard called a tegu, a 4-foot-long reptile from Argentina with sharp claws and a voracious appetite for meat that could possibly tip the ecological applecart. One was spotted last week in Ocala National Forest, a place teeming with campers, swimmers and hikers. Forest officials said the black-and-white critter was likely dropped off in the forest by an overwhelmed pet owner. “We're taking this...