Tegu Update from Toombs, Tattnall

If you thought wild tegus were no longer an issue in Tattnall and Toombs counties, think again. Four Argentine black and white tegus were recently reported, on both sides of the county line.

Mendes resident Seth Edwards had a crew raking pine straw off I.S. Smith Road in eastern Toombs County when the leader called him on May 20. He was excited.

"He said, 'We killed a dragon!'" Edwards recalled. "I said, 'A what?' He said, 'A dragon … a big lizard!'"

That tegu, caught as it scrambled for a gopher tortoise burrow, measured more than 3.5 feet long. Edwards said the workers also saw a smaller tegu in the same area two days later, but it escaped.

Meanwhile, just east across the Ohoopee River in Tattnall County, a Reidsville landowner killed a 28- to 30-inch tegu on May 24. Zack Bowen spotted the lizard crossing Ga. 147 near his driveway. Like Edwards, reported the carcass to DNR.

And last month, after finding fresh tegu tracks crossing sandy I.S. Smith Road, DNR senior wildlife technician Jim Gillis spooked a tegu while setting a trap for them. That lizard is still on the loose.

These tegus were the first confirmed in the region this spring, although a handful of unconfirmed yet credible sightings have also been reported. Argentine black and white tegus, the world's largest tegu, are native to parts of South America and invasive in Georgia. Growing up to 4 feet long and weighing 10 pounds or more, they eat everything from bird eggs to small animals and plants.

The state's only known wild population of tegus is in Toombs and Tattnall. DNR has worked with landowners, Georgia Southern University and others since 2018 to assess and try to eradicate them. Although popular in the pet trade, Argentine black and white tegus were added to Georgia's wild animal list in 2022. The move banned importing and breeding the species and restricted ownership.

Edwards, a lifelong Tattnall County resident, said the tegu his crew caught "is the first one we'd ever come across."

The same was true for Bowen. But both men knew the large reptiles shouldn't be there, and both will be on the lookout for others.

SEE A TEGU, TELL DNR

• Let DNR know when you see a tegu in the wild, alive or dead. Note the location, take a photo if possible and report the sighting online, by phone (478-994-1438) or by email.
• Note that as a non-native species, tegus in the wild in Georgia are not protected by state wildlife laws or regulations. They can be trapped or killed year-round on private land with landowner permission and in accordance with animal cruelty, local ordinances and appropriate safety measures.
• If you have any exotic pet, don't let it loose. It is illegal to release a non-native animal into the wild without a permit.
• Learn more, including about native reptiles such as juvenile alligators and eastern fence lizards sometimes misidentified as tegus, at georgiawildlife.com/tegus.

Top: Argentine black and white tegu (Dustin Smith)

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