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Presented by: Dr. Steve Johnson
An invasive species of giant lizard is invading the Southeast and threatening native wildlife. The Argentine black and white tegu is a native of South America and eats the eggs of ground-nesting birds. They grow up to 4 feet long and can weigh more than 10 pounds. They also eat fruits, vegetables, insects and eggs. The Tegus compete with native animals for food and other resources, cause habitat damage, and transmit diseases. The lizards also have few predators, so they can multiply quickly. Learn about the Tegu’s invasion of the southeastern U.S. and its ecology on this free webinar!
Dr. Steve A. Johnson is an Associate Professor of Wildlife Ecology at the University of Florida in Gainesville. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Florida and B.S. and M.S. degrees from the University of Central Florida. Dr. Johnson’s area of expertise is natural history and conservation of amphibians and reptiles. He, his students and his collaborators conduct research on invasive species—their studies have focused on Cuban treefrogs, cane toads, coqui frogs, rhesus macaques, tegu lizards, and others. He and his students have also conducted research on sea turtles, gopher frogs, diamond-backed terrapins, pine snakes, and Amazonian river turtles. Dr. Johnson’s outreach program emphasizes invasive species education, and he has authored numerous “fact sheets” on invasive vertebrates in Florida. Steve is a native Floridian and enjoys being outdoors.
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