If you've ever spotted a strange creature slithering through your backyard and wondered whether it was a snake, an eel, or something else entirely, you're not alone. Florida is home to thousands of animal species — including a long and growing list of nonnative and invasive ones — and telling them apart isn't always easy.
Before reaching for the phone, it helps to know the difference between terms that often get confused. A nonnative species is simply one living outside its natural range — think of common fruits and vegetables grown across the U.S. that didn't originate here. An invasive species, as defined by federal executive order, goes a step further: it's a nonnative species whose presence causes or is likely to cause harm to the environment, economy, or human health. The two terms are not interchangeable.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission maintains a searchable database of nonnative and invasive species documented in the state, where curious Floridians can look up unfamiliar animals. The University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences also offers identification resources and access to experts who can help put a name to mystery creatures. Among the species the FWC highlights are the Burmese python, green iguana, Argentine black and white tegu, cane toad, Nile monitor, giant African land snail, Cuban treefrog, Asian swamp eel, lionfish, walking catfish, and the Gambian pouched rat, to name just a few of the more than two dozen on their list.
Spotted something suspicious? The FWC encourages residents to report invasive species sightings by calling the Invasive Species Hotline at 1-888-IveGot1 (1-888-483-4681), visiting IveGot1.org, or downloading the IveGot1 app to log nonnative species encounters directly from your phone.
This story originally appeared in the News-Journal Online, written by Samantha Neely of the USA TODAY Network – Florida.
