Dusty Bake Activate
Fukk your corny debates
Video: http://animal.discovery.com/tv-shows/other/videos/killer-aliens-nile-monitor-lizard.htm
http://invadingflorida.blogspot.com/
http://invadingflorida.blogspot.com/
Nile Monitor Invading the Florida Ecosystem
Since it's first sighting in Florida in 1981, the Nile Monitor has been terrorizing the native species of the Florida ecosystem and growing rapidly in the number and area of its population.
the-lizard-lounge.com
The Nile Monitor is a large predatory reptile native to southern and central Africa. Because it is semi-aquatic and will eat just about anything it can overpower from land vertibrates, to fish, to birds, the Nile Monitor can survive and reproduce in a variety of ecosystems. Although these reptiles are now causing havoc within the Florida ecosystems, it was humans who first brought them here.
Florida's Historical Ecosystem (nps.gov)
Nile monitors can inhabit the shores of any aquatic ecosystem in Florida, including mangroves, salt marshes, rivers, springs, lakes, swamps, and freshwater marshes. Salt Marshes and Mangroves are intertidal zones, meaning they are located where freshwater systems meet the ocean along the coast. Historically salt marshes have been home to many species of salt tolerant long grasses and weeds, along with numerous fish, birds and snakes. Mangroves consist of plants larger than those in salt marshes, which have intricate root systems and have the ability to obtain fresh water from the salt water they are surrounded by. Mangroves are home to many fish and bird species as well as the American Crocodile and Alligator. Possibly the largest aquatic ecosystem in Florida is the swamp ecosystem. Historically, swamps covered much of the land and were dominated by trees, woody vines, and shrubs. Swamps are home to fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and many mammals. Historically, the species of Florida had ample habitats and natural predators to maintain population balance and prevent endangered species and extinction.
Florida Today
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mVv-EkFxGIE/UK_lScQHpqI/AAAAAAAAAAM/7jGAabyZAPA/s320/florida+lizard+shyt.jpg
digital-topo-maps.com
As humans have inhabited Florida, the natural ecosystems have been impacted negatively in two major ways. The first is the shrinking of natural habitats of plants and animals through urbanization of Florida. The negative human impact that I'm focusing on is the introduction of non-native, invasive species, particularly the Nile monitor. Nile monitors as I said are native to central and southern Africa, however they are the second most popular African reptile to have as a pet. Exotic animal trade is the reason this invasive species has found a home in Florida. Monitors are cheap to buy as offspring, and their ability to eat large rodents is often a spectacle to pet owners. What many people don't realize upon buying a baby Nile monitor is that it may grow to be seven feet long, and its disposition is anything but docile. This has led to many Nile monitors either escaping their cages or being intentionally let go by owners who could no longer their size or attitude.
The reason Nile monitors have the potential to cause so much damage in Florida habitats is the fact that they have no natural predators in Florida. In their native land, huge African Crocodiles prey on Nile monitors and limit the population, but the American Alligator cannot effectively hunt the Nile monitor, which allows these reptiles to roam freely, hunting just about anything they can ingest. According to professor Todd S. Campbell they will eat bugs, smaller lizards, frogs, rodents, turtles, birds, fish, baby alligators, the endangered gopher tortoises, the endangered burrowing owls, eggs of many species, and even cats or small dogs.
Besides the fact that homeowners, their children, and their pets are terrified by Nile Monitors, they pose a huge threat ecologically. If monitor populations continue to grow they could possibly lead to further endangerment or even extinction of species like the gopher tortoise, the burrowing owl, and the Alligator. Other endangered species which could be possible prey of the unthreatened Nile monitor are the rice rat, many types of turtles, the Atlantic salt marsh snake, and the bluetail mole skink.
Hope for these endangered species comes only from the possibility of eradication of these invasive species from Florida. The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation have funded professor Todd S. Campbell in trapping and hopefully eradicating Nile monitors from Florida. Campbell has found that eradication is going to be extremely difficult if not impossible. In mangrove areas especially, one could hope for only species control and the prevention of the spreading of the invasive species to other areas of Florida. Monitors are quick, strong, and very skiddish, making them hard to trap, especially in dense areas of mangrove habitat where they thrive. Another proposed way of controlling this growing population is through acetaminophen toxication. Robert E. Mauldin and Peter J. Savarie did a study on the possibility of controlling monitor population growth by force-feeding acetaminophen to juvinile Nile monitors. They found that a 40 mg dosage killed 100% of the juvinile monitors. Unfortunately they are not sure of the dosage needed to kill adult monitors, and are also not sure how to best administer the lethal bait without endangering native animals as well. Nonetheless, acetaminophen is a possible way to control or diminish the population of Nile monitors in Florida.
I do not believe total eradication will be successful anytime in the near future because of the adaptibility of Nile monitors and there ability to hatch a large number of offspring. I do, however believe that an effort to contain the population and prevent it from expanding its range could be successful to protect the wildlife in other parts of the state.
Sightings 2001-2003 (Enge)
Sightings since 2007 (www.capecoral.net)
As you can see in these two sightings maps, since the early 2000's there has not been much progress in eradicating the Nile monitor. However, there hasn't been much of an increase in the population size either. This, along with the report from Kevin Enge and Todd S. Campbell lead me to believe that trapping efforts may be successful in controlling the population but not as successful as of now in eradicating the Nile monitor from Florida as a whole.
@ seeing your dogs' a$$hole gaped wide open...