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NEWS-PRESS (Fort Myers, Florida) 04 July 06 'Monster' likely Cape's biggest lizard trapped yet - Official size may be determined today (Jason Wermers)
It appears that master lizard trapper Conny Spurfeld has caught the biggest Nile monitor lizard in Cape Coral's history.
"It's bigger than Moby Dick," said Spurfeld, 44, of southwest Cape Coral, referring to the 6-foot-2 behemoth she found in one of her traps in May. That lizard was just an inch short of the record.
"He's in the back of my Land Rover now, and I'll keep him in my garage tonight," she said Monday afternoon, moments after hauling in her latest catch.
The size of the latest catch, which Spurfeld nicknamed named "Monster," will probably be determined today. Harry Phillips, an environmental technician for the city, said he will likely euthanize the lizard, then get its official weight and length.
"I have not seen anything yet," Phillips said. "But if what she's saying is correct, it will be the biggest lizard we've ever caught."
Spurfeld said she has caught 26 lizards since May 23. They have ranged in size from about 2 feet to the giant one she found Monday. Nile monitor lizards typically range in size from 4 feet to 7 feet.
Despite the sizes of Moby Dick and Monster, Phillips said most of this year's captures have been smaller than in years past. He said that could be because he and Spurfeld started catching the reptiles earlier this year than previously.
"Maybe it's because the temperatures are so hot," he said. "They're actually looking for food sooner in the season. Once the frogs start hatching and those small lizards (running around), it might be tougher. But right now, with a shortage of food, they may be looking for whatever they can find."
The choice meal that is drawing them into the city's traps is raw, smelly chicken scraps.
Publix has donated about 18 to 20 pounds of raw chicken bags each week to help trap the foreign, invasive lizards. The chicken, apparently, is tastier than the city's previous bait of squid.
Cape Coral has the country's largest population of the critters, experts believe.
Spurfeld has deemed the lizards Cape's pubic enemy No. 1 because of the potential threat to burrowing owls and gopher tortoises.
Even so, she kind of likes Monster; however, she is glad this lizard will become another statistic.
"He's beautiful," she said. "I'm excited because we had gone almost a week without catching one. Then, since Friday, we've been getting them every day."
Each year, Phillips said, Cape Coral catches an average of about 50 Nile monitor lizards. He estimated that the city's lizard population is between 1,000 and 1,500.
'Monster' likely Cape's biggest lizard trapped yet

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NEWS-PRESS (Fort Myers, Florida) 05 July 06 Monitor lizard short of record - Monster foot longer than average caged (Rachel Myers)
It turns out Monster wasn't the biggest Nile monitor lizard caught in Cape Coral, but he certainly wasn't pint-sized, either.
Lizard trapper Conny Spurfeld guessed Monday that she caught the biggest lizard since Moby Dick, who, at 6-foot-2, was 1 inch short of the record.
But Harry Phillips, Cape Coral's environmental technician, said Tuesday the Monster was measured about 6 feet, which ranked it about a foot longer than the average lizard trappers are accustomed to catching.
"It looked very deceiving, and it's definitely one of the larger ones," Phillips said. "It's a tough call until you actually measure them."
Monster, which Phillips guessed weighed about 20 pounds, was euthanized Tuesday, as are the 50 or so lizards the three-person team catches each year.
The cages used for trapping are 6 feet long, so Phillips said trappers are able to get a rough estimate of the lizard's size.
Spurfeld, who has trapped about 26 lizards since she began her internship through Florida Gulf Coast University, could not be reached Tuesday, but she had said earlier that she was elated by the catch.
"I'm excited because we had gone almost a week without catching one," she had said earlier this week. "Then, since Friday, we've been getting them every day."
Phillips said Monster's remains will be frozen and sent to the University of Tampa, where biologists dissect and study the exotic reptiles in an effort to alleviate their growing threat to Cape Coral.
With the population of the lizards estimated at between 1,000 and 1,500, Phillips said he doesn't expect the trapping to taper off until December, when the lizards limit their movements because of colder weather.
Monitor lizard short of record