OCALA, Fla. (AP) - Biologists worry that a new reptile found in the Ocala National Forest could tip the ecological balance.

An exotic lizard called a tegu is a 4-foot-long reptile from Argentina. Wildlife officials say it was likely left in the forest by an overwhelmed pet owner.

The tegu is known to go inside gopher-tortoise burrows and dig out mice and tortoise eggs. They are omnivorous and have a taste for native plants and small rodents, which are food for Florida snakes and raptors.

Biologist Carrie Sekerak says these reptiles are taking away a food source for those animals.

If more of these are found in the Ocala forest, biologists say it may be time to start eradication.

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