Reptile Rivalry: The Turf War Between Florida’s Invasive Lizards

An invasive lizard turf war is on in Florida and could put human health at risk.  Brown anoles first arrived in Florida along with many other invasives long ago as likely stowaways on Cuban cargo ships. They proceeded to wipe out Florida’s native green anoles and have successfully established themselves as the state’s most prolific lizard. While they don’t belong here, brown anoles may well have provided unintentional protection for the health of humans as well as other wildlife.

Mosquitoes are the deadliest animals in the world, transmitting life-threatening illnesses like Dengue, Yellow Fever, West Nile Virus, and Malaria that combined, kill nearly a million people every year around the world.  Fortunately, brown anoles are a preferred menu item for mosquitoes, which presents somewhat of a constraint when it comes to potential mosquito exposure for people and native wildlife.  Since anoles do not appear to be hosts for mosquito-borne viruses, this may be an extra layer of protection, according to Nathan Burkett-Cadena, associate professor at UF/IFAS’ Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory.

“Every time a mosquito bites a lizard, it's not biting a bird. It's not biting a human being,” Burkett-Cadena said. “So those lizards, by kind of absorbing mosquito bites, they reduce the number of bites that go to birds and people — and that could have this overall effect of protecting people from these viruses, or at least reducing the number of illnesses.”

But now the brown anole population is under threat by yet another invasive species and researchers worry that this could increase human and wildlife exposure to mosquito-borne pathogens. Enter the Peter’s rock agama lizard.

Native to East Africa, the Peter's rock agama arrived in Florida as a result of the pet trade. These big (up to a foot long) colorful but aggressive creatures were first documented in south Florida in 1976 but have spread like wildfire through at least 20 counties as far north as Volusia. And it appears as though they are winning the territorial battle and reducing the anole population which could increase public health risks.

It's one hypothesis among several that Burkett-Cadena’s team began testing around areas of St. Lucie County last fall, where both species are abundant. They started collecting mosquitoes to analyze blood in their stomachs and also removed rock agamas from specific areas to discover any changes to which animals were being bitten.

The study, “Invasive lizard-mediated risk of mosquito-borne pathogen transmission,” is one of seven projects funded by a $350,000 grant from UF’s Invasion Science Research Institute. The team is addressing critical ecological issues in the state caused by the spread of the Peter’s rock agama.

Learn more about this study and team of scientists HERE