Just another day in sunny Florida… Watch:
The surprising encounter was caught on camera in Boca Raton, Florida. While this footage may shock you, it is actually somewhat reassuring to see a racoon, a creature native to Florida, hunting down this invasive lizard. The Sunshine State is being overrun by these green iguanas, which are an invasive species that is not native to Florida but has been expanding its range in the state.
Hordes of green iguanas, native to Central and South America and the Caribbean, are invading South Florida yards, parks, and swimming pools — joining other invasive reptiles like Burmese pythons, Nile crocodiles and giant tegus. Attracted to a wide variety of leaves and flowering plants, the brightly colored lizards regularly eat their way through gardens and landscape vegetation, leaving a trail of poop for property owners to clean up.
But these reptiles aren’t just a nuisance; they’re causing millions of dollars in damage as they create phone and power outages, disrupt water management projects during storm surges, destroy habitats of protected and endangered species, and damage seawalls, pools, and patios.
A Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission news release says that people should kill the iguana if they find them on their property.
Florida residents that find iguanas on their property are legally allowed (and encouraged) to humanely euthanize the reptiles by shooting them with a pellet gun, stabbing them in the brain, or even decapitating them — as long as they don’t suffer. Residents are strictly forbidden from drowning, freezing, or poisoning them, as these methods are considered animal cruelty.
Click here to learn more about this invasive lizard.
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