The green-scaled iguanas have made their rounds around Florida Atlantic University’s Boca Raton campus while making it their home; however, they have become a serious threat to Florida natives and species special to FAU, like the gopher tortoise and burrowing owls.

Iguanas were introduced to Florida’s ecology in the 1960s as a result of the exotic pet trade of the time, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History. Now, they are causing widespread ecological damage, and the effects are escalating with a population of around 100,000 in Florida alone, according to analyses from IggyTrap, an iguana trapping company. 

Samantha Wisely is an associate professor of Wildlife Ecology & Conservation at the University of Florida. She explains the problems of allowing non-native species to grow rampant in Florida’s diverse natural ecology. 

“Some of these tropical reptile species that thrive in warm tropic environments are able to actually move further and further north,” she said. “[Invasive species] overall effects are so damaging, and I think that overrides any positive effect we can see.”

Christopher Sommerville, an invasive species expert specializing in Iguana hunting services in South Florida communities from Port Saint Lucie to Key West, explains how they have pronounced effects on Florida’s local environment.

“They came in as pets sometime in the 1960s, and that was it. They got out of control, they breed so much, and the temperatures here are so great that they enable them to reproduce more,” he said.

Lisa Thompson, public information specialist for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Division of Habitat and Species Conservation, shares where Iguanas have spread since then.

“Green iguana populations now stretch along the Atlantic Coast in Broward, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe, and Palm Beach Counties and along the Gulf Coast in Collier and Lee Counties,” she said.

Somerville, who Broward College and Palm Beach State have contacted to help combat Iguanas, shared how these animals affect public spaces and carry the disease on them. Sommerville describes the various diseases and animals that Iguana often carry with them, including Salmonella and ticks. 

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, anywhere from 36-77% of Iguanas carry Salmonella with them. Aside from this, and perhaps most relevant to Florida Atlantic’s natural fauna, iguanas affect local burrowing owl communities. 

Somerville explains that although Iguanas are omnivores, they have begun to eat more animal products, including eggs and owlets.

“They eat their eggs, they eat their chicks, and then take over their nests and run the burrowing owl out,” he said. “Before, they were strictly eating vegetable and farmers had to worry about them, but now they are starting to dabble in meat.”

In a 2021 study, the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences studied the negative ecological effects of Iguanas, including this tendency, yet revealed that it does not affect local bird populations. They reveal other local plant and animal species affected by Iguanas, including the gray nicker bean and gopher tortoises.

According to Wendy Ash Graves, FAU’s director of environmental health and safety, efforts to control the Iguana population have shifted away from trapping efforts. 

“We focus on reducing their populations by eliminating food attractants and using deterrents to deter them from establishing habitats. We remain dedicated to finding new, humane methods to manage nuisance or invasive animal populations on our campuses,” she wrote in an email to the University Press. 

Iguanas don’t just predate owls, however. Thompson shares how these animals affect other species as well. 

“Their tendency to eat plants can make them a nuisance to homeowners, along with their tendency to defecate on people’s property. Adult green iguanas can also feed on bird eggs and dead animals. Juvenile green iguanas can feed on vegetation, insects and tree snails,” she said. 

Thompson shares that local communities can also play a major role in controlling the species.

“Do not feed iguanas or leave pet food outside that can act as an attractant. Avoid planting vegetation that iguanas eat, such as hibiscus, orchids and roses; protect valued plants or gardens with cages or screened enclosures, and plant iguana-resistant vegetation such as milkweed and citrus,” she said.

Somerville explains that he usually tells people not to feed Iguanas, as it can lead to populations growing out of control. 

“Don’t feed them, stay away from them, call a professional to remove them. Otherwise, you’re going to have a lot more problems than anything else because then they get out of control, which I know Boca, it’s monstrous there,” he said. 

This story is in the UP’s latest print issue, Vol. 32, “Earth Day: Exploring Environmental Research and Wildlife at FAU, which can be found in the distribution boxes around the Boca Raton campus or in the Student Union Room 214.

Gabriela Quintero is the Student Life Editor for the University Press. For more information on this or other stories, contact Quintero at gquintero2022@fau.edu.