Free-living Jacksons in Hillsborough County FL??

[lbesok]

I was just reading one of my new chameleon books, Chameleons, A Complete Pet Owner's Manual By R&D Bartlett, and they refer to free-living Jacksons in Hillsborough County, FL.
"Except for the free-living Jackson's chameleons in Hillsborough County, FL,
we have never visited any in the wild."
Does anyone have any more information on this at all, or happen to read it somewhere else as well? Do the authors mean someone they know/knew let them free-roam in on their property or what happened? I kind of though it sounded like they exist independently. If so does anyone know about where?

Liz

 

[Dankmeleon]

perhaps they were referring to busch gardens' old free range reptile program when they use to have a chimp nursery

 

[lbesok]

In the book they make it sound like it's a friends house on private property. Who knows what has become of that spot or of them today. I've had season passes to Busch Gardens for a while now, and I've been looking around but no chameleons

 

[Dave Legacy]

There are multiple ferrel populations of chameleons around the US; It's really bad for our native species.

 

[reyesjoshuacruz]

curious_ what are the negative impacts...anything ultra spec. to chams?

I found info leading me to beleive there were a wild pop of jacks in ca. i contacted the author and got SOLID info. find the auth or someone that knows him, or who has sim. interest and lives in the general area. let us know what the auth says if you get a hold of them.

i know of two pop of jacksons in ca, and one on private prop in fl. anywhere else?

 

[lbesok]

I wonder how I would go about contacting the author. Great idea, thanks!

 

[Sporkthedork]

I found info leading me to beleive there were a wild pop of jacks in ca. i know of two pop of jacksons in ca, and one on private prop in fl. anywhere else?

Where in CA are there wild populations of jacks? If you don't want to give specifics, can you tell me which county?

 

[summoner12]

Where in CA are there wild populations of jacks? If you don't want to give specifics, can you tell me which county?

I heard somewhere in laguna beach.... Orange county.

I don't know where for sure but I heard in that general area near the coast. It kinda makes sense... there is a good morning fog to humidity and cooler temps in the summer. lots of hills with trees...

 

[reyesjoshuacruz]

ive kinda kept it a secret for a while but that pretty lame, there is supposedly two pops in so cal, and one in nor.

the pop in laguna isnt doing good so id like to try and not disturb them. its in laguna beach and a high traffic area. there is a tropical garden that they radiate from. im not sure how that pop becam established. ive been told they favor euc trees because they hold humid. better. if you want to know where it is pm, and we'll talk

there is another in san diego, i havent seen them. or talked to anyone that has

there is another in old town morro bay, this pop is better off from what i understand. if you're looking for them i would talk to the local kids and see if they know of anything. these are mostly on private propery, but there are some to be found not on private prop.

if you are looking for the author, chances are he has had online discussions, or Q and A, look for one of those and try to contact him that way

 

[Dankmeleon]

interesting stuff, the impact shifts more towards other smaller similar species that won't get fed because of all the chameleons eating

which in turn gradually shifts up the food chain as the predators that eat they normally plump creature, began to eat less nourished creatures, and the creatures that eat them, get a less nourished predatory prey

etc etc

changes can be subtle but cause great disturbance from generation to generation

 

[Dave Legacy]

New Zealand Mud Snail (Potamopygrus antipodarum) is running a muck in lakes/streams in the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. They're asexual so it only takes one to produce millions and they're outcompeting the mayflies and caddisflies. This in turn impacts the trout poplulation as their prey items are less readily available (as Darkmeleon was explaining).

I'd like to say that most invasive species are not the cause of hobbyists, but textile import/exporting. I heard from a family friend that he had a shipment come in with a chameleon holding on tightly to the pallet. This is exactly how rats became a worldwide species. What about the recent discovery of Lionfish off of the coast of Florida? It is believed that they were sucked up into the ballast tanks of freight ships while in their planktonic stage of life and released when the ships ported in Florida. Those who are interested in seeing them will have to dive to about 200FT. There are also species that humans have purposely placed in foriegn regions for our own personal gain. Camels in Australia, Bison on Catalina Island, Black Bears in California. Black Bears were introduced so humans would have bears to hunt. I believe this happened about the time the Grizzly Bear population was extinguished in California.

Then there's Caulerpa taxifolia which is a very invasive species of macroalgae. C. taxifolia is believed to have been introduced by aquarium hobbyists who are either dumping their partial-water-change water into the storm drains (or somewhere that leads to the ocean) or hobbyists who are releasing thier tanks into the ocean when they're tired of the hobby. C. taxifolia is currently over running the coastal waters and is a major threat to California's Kelp Forest. Kelp Forests are considered on of the most productive and dynamic ecosystems. Harvested Kelp plays a huge part in the daily lifestyles of humans because it's an ingredient in a ridiculous amount of food/dietary items. Enviornmental Groups are working aggressively to keep the C. taxifolia contained, and I doubt we'll lose the kelp forest over it, but it's a very good example of how irresponsible or unknowledgable hobbyists can have a direct impact on an ecosystem.

 

[SoCaliSon]

That is incredibly interesting... I would have thought that climates here in Cali would not be Ideal for them year round so it would be tough to have a wild population... I have been dying to get out and do some real firld herping... This would be so much fun to look into deeper.

 

[Dave Legacy]

That is incredibly interesting... I would have thought that climates here in Cali would not be Ideal for them year round so it would be tough to have a wild population... I have been dying to get out and do some real firld herping... This would be so much fun to look into deeper.

California weather varies quite a bit depending on location, but coastal areas are probably most suitable due to it getting much cooler at night and getting a lot more mist.