Rhode Island Man Shoveling His Driveway Finds Exotic Lizard Buried Under Nearly 2 Feet of Snow
A Rhode Island man made a bewildering discovery while removing snow from his driveway. The man, who kept his identity anonymous, detected what experts believe to be an exotic lizard, according to Fox59. The New England Wildlife Center identified the lizard as a large tegu. The creature was apparently trying to crawl out of the snow when the man took note of it. He brought the male lizard inside his home, wrapped in a t-shirt. Through this, he helped the lizard conserve heat and get back to an optimal condition. After some time, the man called ET Reptiles, a pet store in Warwick, to figure out how to move forward with the situation.
The New England Wildlife Center shared the incident on social media. The situation unfolded in Providence on one of the city's busiest streets. The tegu was buried beneath almost 20 inches of snow. ET Reptiles immediately responded to the man's request. Officials from the pet shop retrieved the animal and began closely monitoring him at room temperature. They also made arrangements to bring the lizard to the New England Wildlife Center's hospital for further treatment.
Reptiles like the tegu are cold-blooded in nature. This means their body metabolism depends on the condition of the environment around them. If the surrounding temperatures are too low, then the body's metabolism will also slow down. The lack of blood flow in this scenario will eventually push the cells to start failing. This tegu also seems to be a victim of this. During the assessment, medical professionals found the tegu to be incredibly weak. His motion was restricted, possibly because of prolonged exposure to cold. There were also symptoms of extreme muscle weakness and frostbite on the tongue. The tegu was also underweight compared to typical standards.
The tegu was diagnosed with cold-induced myopathy triggered by the tissue damage he had suffered in the snow. This condition is essentially a type of muscle injury facilitated by a lack of energy and blood circulation in low temperatures. After the diagnosis, the tegu was quickly administered steroids to infuse energy and deal with the inflammation. To address the frostbite, the experts removed some non-viable tissues from the tongue. The reptile is now in a stable condition and has achieved optimal temperature. The photos published on social media show how much the creature has improved over the course of a few weeks.
Currently, there is no update regarding the lizard's home. There is a possibility that he escaped, or he could have been let go by his owners. It is indeed legal to own tegus in Rhode Island, stated Fox 59. Officials from the Wildlife Center have requested that people come forward with any information they have so that the organization can kickstart the process of rehabilitation. “We will be rooting for a good outcome and will share updates as we have them,” the center added.
Tegus are native creatures of South America but have recently become an invasive species in places like Florida, threatening other native wildlife in the area, according to CBS. This change has been driven by people who release them after owning them as pets. These creatures appear docile when they are young, but as they grow up, they become difficult to handle with their fatal features. Hence, experts have urged people to think very carefully before choosing a tegu as a pet.
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