Abstract
Tupinambis merianae, is a large, omnivorous tegu lizard native to South America. Two populations of tegus are established in the state of Florida, USA, but impacts to native species are poorly documented. During summer 2013, we placed automated cameras overlooking one American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) nest, which also contained a clutch of Florida red-bellied cooter (Pseudemys nelsoni) eggs, and one American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) nest at a site in southeastern Florida where tegus are established. We documented tegu activity and predation on alligator and turtle eggs at the alligator nest, and tegu activity at the crocodile nest. Our finding that one of the first two crocodilian nests to be monitored was depredated by tegus suggests that tegus should be further evaluated as a threat to nesting reptiles in Florida.
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Acknowledgments
This project was supported by the South Florida Water Management District, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the U. S. Geological Survey, and the University of Florida. E. Metzger III and C. Gillette brought the crocodile nest to our attention. We thank V. Briggs Gonzalez and J. Duquesnel for their help with checking nests and cameras, and K. Sommers, A. Woodward, and R. Harvey for their helpful comments on this manuscript. Monitoring of the crocodile nest was conducted under endangered species permit number TE077258-1 to the University of Florida and approved by the University of Florida Animal Research Committee approval number 002-11FTL. Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
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Online Resource 1 Video of American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) opening up nest https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHqGuRwcjtg (MPG 10998 kb)
Online Resource 2 Video of Argentine black and white tegus (Tupinambis merianae) removing alligator eggs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZRHm2Qn9qA (MPG 23062 kb)
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Mazzotti, F.J., McEachern, M., Rochford, M. et al. Tupinambis merianae as nest predators of crocodilians and turtles in Florida, USA. Biol Invasions 17, 47–50 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-014-0730-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-014-0730-1