Evaluating Trap Alternatives for Removal of Salvator merianae (Black and White Tegu)

Salvator merianae (Argentine Black and White Tegu, hereafter, Tegu) is an omnivorous, burrowing lizard native to South America. Tegus were introduced through the pet trade, and free-ranging populations now threaten many native species in Florida. As Tegu control programs expand and more traps are deployed, the need for a simple, inexpensive trap increases. To date, there has been no experimental effort to compare types of traps or alternative lures. In this study, we evaluated responses of 12 captive Tegus to several alternative trap/bait combinations. We video-recorded each of the trials and scored the outcomes based on the trap the Tegu entered first. Our results suggest that alternative trap/lure combinations, such as traps made of PVC pipe baited with commercial mouse-based trap lure, might be just as effective at capturing Tegus, and thus could be less expensive options for Tegu control programs. Trials with captive animals do not necessarily predict outcomes with free-ranging animals, and w...