“Providing information in multiple languages is vital to extending the reach in search of scientific data,” says Lourdes Perez Cordero, an agriculture and natural resources agent at UF/IFAS Extension Highlands County. UF/IFAS faculty hope the information will galvanize more people to report the species.
To help residents and visitors identify the brown basilisk, a peer-reviewed Extension document is available in English and Spanish. There remains a mystery to scientists about how far and wide they have spread and what they are eating and disturbing. The lizard has prominent markings and characteristics that distinguish it from other reptilian species. This call to action goes out as National Invasive Species Awareness Week begins on February 20. “Residents and visitors can enhance the data by taking photos of brown basilisks and uploading them to EddMapS or the IveGot1 app.” There are reports of brown basilisks from the Florida Keys to Gainesville,” says Ken Gioeli, a natural resources and environment agent at University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Extension St. “We receive anecdotal reports of brown basilisks in areas where the reported sightings are thin and sporadic, but we know they are thriving in South and Central Florida. They need more information to stay ahead. Wildlife specialists with the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) depend on geographic information to determine this lizard’s potential impacts on the environment, wildlife, and human health. The brown basilisk, a nonnative lizard, is gaining ground across South Florida, and University of Florida scientists need more data to determine its status and potential impacts.
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