Lifestyle

Giant lizard scales Florida homeowner’s window: ‘Looks like Godzilla’

A giant lizard described as “Godzilla” recently visited a home in Florida and was caught on video trying to climb up a window.

Video of what appeared to be a Savannah monitor lizard was taken from inside a home in Apopka, a city outside of Orlando, and shared earlier this month on Facebook.

“OMG! Look at this!” Jocelyn Penson wrote, adding that uninvited guest popped up at her son’s home. “Needless to say I won’t be visiting him any time soon!”

Penson said that the reptile was a monitor lizard, but added that it “looks like Godzilla to me!”

The Savannah monitor lizard is not native to Florida, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) said. 

The lizards are native to sub-Saharan Africa.

The Savannah monitor is a popular species for pet owners. 

The lizard is native to sub-Saharan Africa
A giant lizard scaled a Florida homeowner’s windows. Frank Crowder / AMAZING ANIMALS+
The large lizard is popular as a pet.
The Savannah monitor lizard is not native to Florida Frank Crowder / AMAZING ANIMALS+

Experts believe that the populations of various species of monitor lizard in Florida come from pet owners who could no longer care for their exotic pets and released them into the wild, according to the FWC. Others may have escaped from facilities destroyed in hurricanes.