Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Piedmont South Atlantic Coast CESU

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The USGS is offering a funding opportunity to a CESU partner for research and rapid response to evaluate invasive Argentine tegu lizards in southern Georgia.Argentine Tegu lizards (Salvator merianae) are large, mobile omnivores capable of rapid invasion. These habitat generalists have become established in south Florida and are known to negatively impact native wildlife. FORT scientists recently published an environmental niche modeling paper demonstrating that much of the southern U.S. may be climatically suitable for establishment of this species. Funding under this new cooperative agreement will support the following projects: Project 1. Evaluating camera detection of tegu lizards as a means of documenting tegu presence and spatial extent of the population in southern GeorgiaThe objective is to evaluate the use of camera trap arrays for detecting invasive Argentine tegus presence at low population densities. Anticipated products include spatial locations of tegus for targeted removal of tegus in southern Georgia.Project 2. Removal trapping at sites documented to contain invasive Argentine tegu lizards or deemed worthy of a trapping effort.

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