"Uncovering the Ancient Tegu: The Discovery of Wautaugategu formidus in a Georgia Mine"
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"Uncovering the Ancient Tegu: The Discovery of Wautaugategu formidus in a Georgia Mine"
[!CDATA[A newly discovered species of tegu lizard, Wautaugategu formidus, has been identified from a bone found in a Georgia mine. The bone, previously unidentified and stored for years, was recognized as belonging to a tegu lizard by Jason Bourque, a fossil preparator at the Florida Museum of Natural History. The discovery marks the first fossil of a tupinambine (tegu) in North America, with unique features distinguishing it from known tegu species. The bone was excavated in the early 2000s from Gragg Mine near the Florida-Georgia line and remained in storage until Bourque's identification breakthrough. Using machine learning and artificial intelligence, Bourque and his colleague Edward Stanley confirmed the bone's tegu origin and determined it to be a new species not previously documented. The fossil dates back to a warm prehistoric period when Florida was mostly underwater, suggesting the lizards may have migrated from South America and inhabited the coastal regions of present-day Georgia. Changes in temperature likely led to their extinction, as they require warm conditions for reproduction. The discovery challenges the belief that tegus arrived in North America solely through the exotic pet trade in modern times. The Argentine black and white tegu, a related invasive species in Florida and Georgia, poses a threat to native wildlife by preying on alligator eggs and gopher tortoise hatchlings. Growing up to nearly 5 feet in length, these tegus have been released into the wild by pet owners or escaped captivity, leading to their invasive status. Bourque expressed enthusiasm for further exploration of fossil sites along the ancient coastal ridge near the Florida-Georgia border to uncover more clues about the ancient lizard species.]]