BRUNSWICK NEWS (Georgia) 09 September 08 Exotic geckos discovered
It's not rare for exotic, non-native species to somehow cross the state line into Georgia.
John Jensen has seen it on a number of occasions, when travelers open their car doors or unload a trailer after a long road trip and find a tiny hitchhiker clinging to the inside of the car.
Jensen himself has done it. After a day of fishing in Florida, Jensen brought his boat back to the Georgia coast, only to find a non-native lizard taking a joyride in his tackle box.
"It happens all the time," said Jensen, senior wildlife biologist for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Nongame Conservation Section.
This common occurrence has lead to a discovery in Georgia: A second population of exotic Indo-Pacific geckos has been found in Savannah. The original finding of a population of this species was made in Brunswick in 2006.
As the name suggests, the Indo-Pacific gecko is indigenous to Indonesia and several islands in the Pacific. For about a decade, biologists have known that the lizards were making a home in Florida and suspected it would only be a matter of time before they started popping up in Georgia.
Now, that time has come.
These lizards are nocturnal and thrive in dark places. That and their profound ability to hang tightly to almost any surface make them highly effective hitchhikers. It is how they came from the Pacific to the Georgia-Florida coast in the first place, Jensen said.
"We think they probably clung to boats and eventually got off here," he said. "It wasn't unexpected that they crossed the Georgia border and it won't be the last we see of them, but it is noteworthy."
Non-native species often cause problems for native wildlife and some time humans. In the past, nonnative species, be it lizards or kudzu, have been known to take over native habitats, overeat native species, prey and even spread disease.
So far, though, the Indo-Pacific gecko hasn't caused any problems. It lives in already disturbed locations, like on the sides of buildings and homes, Jensen said.
The only complaint Jensen has heard about the Indo-Pacific species is that it is out-competing the similarly non-native Mediterranean gecko. But, he said, that isn't much of a concern.
"Anytime we find a new nonnative species, we like to make note of it," Jensen said. "The Indo-Pacific gecko eats bugs and other nuisances."
With no known predators in the region, "other than the house cat," Jensen said, the lizard could swiftly multiply. Or it could stay just as it is.
"It's really too soon to know what kind of issues could go along with this gecko," he said. "We haven't had any problems yet, though."
Exotic geckos discovered