African lizard found in Florida

[Barb]

From The Miami Herald:
"The Nile monitor lizard, a carnivorous, sharp-toothed invasive reptile long the bane of Cape Coral and its small mammals and fish, has found its way to Sanibel, and could eventually show up in Broward."

Full article here

And now we can add the Nile monitor lizard to the assorted anoles, basilisks, geckos, iguanas, lizards, and skinks that are non-indigenous. If this species shows up in Broward County, I'm pretty sure that shortly thereafter all my cats will be indoor cats.

 

[TK n Happy Ness]

I figure that the alligators will take them out.

 

[Barb]

According to the article, they have no predator once they reach a certain length. They're vicious fighters, too, according to people on Sanibel who've tried to capture them. Maybe a large alligator, say, 15 feet or so, could take a Nile monitor out, but otherwise they're pretty evenly matched.