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Turschmann said the lizard, which wandered away to the vacant lot next to his home, was believed by neighbors to be a Nile or rock monitor, but experts later identified it as an Argentine black-and-white tegu.
Sarah Funck, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation's Nonnative Fish and Wildlife Program coordinator, said the lizard's species was clear from the video captured by Turschmann's wife, Linda.
Funck said the non-native tegu was likely an escaped or released pet.