it moved into the homeless shelter

Anyone put out food, or a heat lamp for this guy? he could sense the heat, come, and you can bet he wont leave the lamps warmth, he could be caught, if he's even still alive, its awful cold out there!

There are 3 reptile rescues in southern Wisconsin. One has already been contacted and is willing and able to take the Monitor when and if it is found.

Are you sure it wasnt Godzilla.

I havent seen a story that has caused so many people to post---and such FUNNY posts too!!!! The media is playing this up big time--I saw a story on Madison's Channel 3 news!!!

The media hasn't given it a name yet...let's hold a contest and name this thing.....My suggestion is "Slick the Lizard"

This just in, you can buy a $10 raffle ticket to sit in a lawnchair in between the two sighting locations. All proceeds will go toward the NEW Janesville Ice Arena....LOL

I heard it wasn't a monitor lizard at all. I heard it was an unemployed Janesvillian turned lot lizard....LOL

How many people are secretly rooting for the lizard at this point ??

No Zoo'z in the area, so if it does get cornered, who will take care of it. Certainly not RCHS, thier neither experienced or smart enough to handle this creature. mommaof4, they eat carion as well, and saliva is toxic with nasty bacterias. Someone who thinks this animal won't kill and eat a small dog or cat is outta thier mind, much less think it won't bite them. I bet this critter gives a nasty bite.

It must have sneaked in across the border too! Chupacabra! Chupacabra!

While I agree that Janesville storm sewers a are specifically not harboring a Komodo dragon, I would like to point out that the Komodo dragon IS a monitor lizard. "The Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis) is a large species of lizard found in the Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, and Gili Motang. A member of the monitor lizard family (Varanidae), it is the largest living species of lizard..."

Oh no, are these an endangered species? Have they begun migrating here? Will we have to pay for tunnels under Milwaukee Street for lizards now?

fanoffun- like the commercial when the lady calls the raccoon into her home. Here kitty kitty kitty. I wonder if they'll eat kitties? RUN kitty kitty kitty!!

They are actually distant relatives and I'm quite sure that the only place you would be able to find a lizard that dangerous to purchase would maybe, maybe be on the black market. Komodos make crocodiles look like kittens.

Btw- the gorilla was green as well ; )

I don't see in the article where it is 10'.
Why are people on here saying it is 10'.
Eye witness said 5'. HUGE difference between 5 and 10 feet.

I had a weird dream last night. I saw it running under an underpass in the green belt area chasing a gorilla. When it was on the news again today I had to laugh at myself because then I recalled the dream.

my mistake becaues a monitor lizard and a komodo dragon are both monitor lizards, just different member of the same family....

my mistake mom_o_5-wake up on the wrong side of the lizard today?

To the person that said it has toxic saliva. You really need to do your research before you spout comments that make no sense.
This IS NOT a comodo dragon, it is a monitor lizard and they eat their prey whole (small mammals, like mice, gerbels, etc...).
Unless you are putting your hand in their mouth, you have little chance of being bit. Their teeth run backwards like a snake, they have a forked tongue like a snake. The biggest fear you should have is that it will give you a rather large welt on your ankle if you step too close to it and it snaps you with its tail.
My husband used to own a savannah monitor and when his lizard went to the nature preserve, he was 5 1/2 feet long. Five and a half feet long is really not as long as it sounds. That is from the tip of the tail to the tip of the nose. Its body is probably only about 2 to 2 1/2 foot long. Due to the fact that we had small mammals, we had to find a better home for him to be able to get some exercise in since we couldn't trust him around our small mammals.

Incedents like this should wake people up to the fact that these animals are not pets and should never be pets.

If it really is a monitor lizard-they have toxic saliva that can kill most mammals. They can out run most humans, but not most county vehicles ;)

Someones pet, probably. Someone also knows who it belonged to. Put a stop to this cruelty to innocent creatures. Report them. Let them pay the fine and support the city expendures on their behalf for creating this problem. There are other humane methods of disposal.

Bush is in Beloit. Must be looking for the Cheney lizard. Was it sporting moneybags?

Hope it comes to my neighborhood to eat all the loose cats wandering around.

Love the "MONITOR LIZARD SIGHTINGS" map.
Is there an app for that? Think the lizard might be willing to tweet his/her location to my iPhone?

My friend in Singapore says that these lizards bite hard so I'd stay away and call a professional.

there is nothing wrong with the lizard it just trying to live its life free too. Could be worse the lizard might not have a green card.

I can see it now... New headline "Lizzard found basking in the sun on top of Bessie the Cow".

Must be a run away Tea Party member. I have seen many of them slither around.

fanoffun10 - Obviously, I don't know your mom, but that's funny! Brings to mind the commercial for Keystone Light. . . . Here Kiki, here kiki....! Hahahahahaha!!!!

mavericksdad
do the cops need to come question you?... you didnt happen to leave your door open and look the other way did you?.. you really dont think that if someone was to come apon this thing unknowingly.. like walking by it when it's under a car or hidden in a bush, that it wouldn't attack you or a young child or even your family pet. they need to find this thing before it dies or god forbid someone gets hurt.

come on now.. we're humans... we're affraid of our own shadow.

...I know the people of WI arent stupid so please lets quit acting like it...its not going to eat your children or you...it can only hurt you if you touch it,in other words its not a rabid dog its a lizard that is wayyyy out of his enviroment and is probably scared out of his mind and without proper care it will die soon enough...

...you people are fully aware that dogs (thats right those precious furry things you love so much) kill 15-30 people a year(19 this year thus far)mostly children right?...and how many people have ever been killed by a monitor lizard?...none,ever...the biggest thing its going to "take down" would be a small animal (very small)and will most likely die anyway...meanwhile dogs are allowed to roam free and no one cares...what a joke...

we have gone from Jurrasic Park to Janesasic Park......

Where is Sam O'Neil at and that old guy??????

Tikiman1 - I agree... I live in that area, and every morning walking out to my car (in the dark)freaks me out! I don't want to run into this thing.

I'm sure it's still in the area. They don't move that fast. Besides the fact that Janesville isn't exactly it's natural habitat. I'm sure it's just trying to figure things out. It'll probably bed down by someones house or car at night for the warmth. Should be an interesting surprise for the owner in the morning. They would want it to go away fast, and with the temp in the early morning, that thing ain't going anywhere fast.

Makes for a great story though, doesn't it?

And yeah, whoever owned this thing should step up and take their medicine.

Oh one more thing if one of mine get hurt because of your stupidity; it won't be the lizard I will be hunting!

People please leave these creatures to the experts! They are not pets! You best pray no people or pets are injured because of your stupidity! As a community we should make sure that those who think things like this are cool to keep -- understand that we will not tolerate this in our community! They are illegal to own as pets here for a reason....HELLO...!!!!!

If they can't catch the lizard - no city vehicle chases please.

Truth & ranjan:

Best yet. You both should start a comedy blog.

The DNR has planted a group of lizards to control the chicken population that almost got out of control in Janesville.

Let's worry more about pot smokers instead of actual threats. Come on...seriously!!!

According to the sightings, it appears to be heading away from the river not towards it. Even that lizard knows better than to eat anything out of the almight Rock.

anyone missing a cat or dog?

Its not 10 feet long, its only about 4-1/2 feet long. The picture was taken by the woman who saw it; it was in her yard hissing at her terrier dogs then ran in some woods behind her house. Its right down the street from us. Don't understand why they don't call in professionals and trap it and send it to a sanctuary. Everybody wants to be a hero. Look at City of Milton employees running down a poor dog...red necks. Its the idiot who had the thing in a house who should be punished, not the lizard.

Why do I feel like if I were to drive by the location of this sited mystery lizard, that I would find 200 people in lawn chairs sitting around a fishing pole with a wounded chicken on the end in the middle of the streets?? LOL!

Could it survive the winter in the sewers feeding on racoons? I know there is a large population of those living down there and being underground it probably wouldn't get much below 50 degrees.

Someone find Dale Moore. If he shot a dog with a bow and arrow then he can for sure shoot this lizzard.

I am surprised that no one has deemed this as further proof of global warming.

These Lizards are no joke, and fully capable of surviving in a temperate climate. They eat everything, live and dead. From lunch meat, to raw eggs, live birds, fish, and rodents, even rabbits.
Could not survive a winter in WI though.

Maybe there's a connection between this lizard and the alligator that was abandoned in the apartment above Hanson's in Beloit last year...

http://www.gazettextra.com/news/2009/feb...

think im goin lizard huntin' now!

Where are John and Jeff Niles when you need them?

See, GM closes and Janesville goes to the lizards......

My mom is just the person to be on the porch saying "Here kitty, kitty, kitty"...ha ha

I wish there was some way to track down the owner who released this lizard for whatever reason. There has to be someone, some place who knows a lizard owner who no longer has a lizard. I wish that person would come forward.

otis - I'm just commenting on the 2 previous posts to mine at 10:57.

I'm going to float some beef bullion in my terlet and see if I can't get that sucker to come up. If it happens I'll be sure to post a picture on the Gazette site for all to see.

According to the posts, MPD will run it over, JPD will lose it, and the BPD will shoot it. Well, I guess it's up to EPD to send it back where it came from. :)

Thanks, Spark :-)))))

couchsit - It's a Monitor Lizard, it means it is "Monitoring" it's GPS....LOL Who doesn't have a GPS nowadays, silly ?? I can't get to the grocery store across the street without mine...LOL

Mouse -"I understand the odor of death attracts them." - Why do you think it's in Janesville. The economy is dying and it is here to finish it off.....LOL

Sorry fellow posters, I can't get the image of some poor elderly woman standing on her porch saying "Here kitty, kitty, kitty" as this thing is crawling toards her...Sick, yeah..but I can't shake the image..ha ha

I needed a good laugh today! These are some of the funniest posts Ive seen in a long time.

I live across the street and there are alot of kids in the neighborhood and dogs. If i see it i will shoot it. I agree with biscuit5. If you call the cops it takes them like 20 or 25 minutes to get here.BANG BANG LIZARD GONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Perhaps lizards can “sense” bodies of water somehow, or know to travel downhill to find water, I don't know . But I highly doubt it has ever looked at a map and “knows” where the river is, especially if it was a pet.

JVLBadger - They said on the radio this morning that she took the picture of it with her phone.

I think I saw some politicians beating the bushes looking for it. When they kill it, they will get more votes for saving wisconsin from godzilla.

The original caption under the photo said 'submitted by Amber Downing", not 'photo by Amber Downing. She easily could have seen the lizard and then found and copied a photo from the internet. Would the lizard sit there long enough for her to go get a camera and come back for a picture? Would you get that close for a 'photo op'? Not me.

It will probably hit the river. These things are incredibly efficient in the water.

this is where open carry comes in handy at 20 ft I can put a round right between its eyes I wounder if Rinehardt taxidermy would mount it for me.
B

And coming out next... the locusts!

Oh no Godzilla is here, time to call King Kong or Mothra to help battle the lizard.

I just got back from driving around the area the lizard was sited. I'll bet it heads for the river. Plenty of water and small animals to eat. I would concentrate a search near the banks of the river.

I thought it was Jim Doyle scoping out some new locations for train stations.

Let the DNR handle it. They can feed it one of their million CWD carcasses and check its saliva in their state of the art biocomlogical department in the people's republic of Madistan. They will just need another 32 million dollars to study the best way to keep it safe for hunting.

It was last seen building a shrine at the Case Feeds Hole in the Ground

"Photo of monitor lizard in Janesville" is the caption under the picture, taken by the person who first reported it.

I'd say that is the actual beast.

Leapin' lizards! Somebody call Little Orphan Annie.

Does it speak with a British accent?

Look at photo credit is given to Amber Downing,

Amber Downing reported the initial sighting at 3:35 p.m. in the 600 block of Williams St.

fanoffun10 - Yeah, that's what Billy would do!
.
By the way, is it or is it not, a picture of the critter??

The picture of the reptile is what was taken by the person who discovered it and that is the fence it went under.

Hey guys, the picture on the front page is NOT of the actual lizard. They do not know what kind it actually is.

Geez I sure hope the Milton cops do not get involved. We do not need a lizard hit by there truck.

Heatlamps are on sale at you local hardware store. But then again maybe the lizard is a corporate robot scouting janesville for a place to bring jobs like someone else said.

Maybe it's not a monitor. Maybe it's a MONSTER.

Tj-Dingoes ate my baybee....

This lizard can take down a large mammal simply by its bite. The saliva contains powerful, deadly, bacteria that causes its victim to die of infection. It does not need live prey, but can live off carrion such as road kill. This particular animal constitutes a serious risk to pets, livestock, small children, and even unwary adults.

Another illegal alien, tsk, tsk, tsk.

Evansvillehousewife/ That was a rotten comment. Fanoffun/ Good one!!

Tie a wounded chicken on a string in the middle of the street. Then sit back and watch this awesome eating machine stalk in and snatch it's prey. But catch the action on video so the rest of us can see it. That would be wicked !!!

"I think we're going to need a bigger box " - Taco Bell Dog

@tikiman1 - great idea! I could use a new pair of boots.

head looks like a komodo dragon, body looks savannah...who knows...all i know is, I WANNA SEE IT!

It will die soon without a heat source. If you want to catch it put out a big heat lamp.

totellthetruth:"I wondered what the heck do you do when that thing gets 4 feet and needs a fresh chicken every week?"

Make shoes and a hand bag.

its not a komodo dragon. almost guarentee from looking at the picture it is a savannah monitor.

Tastes like chicken!

The Kidd3477: You stole my line. "Here lizard, lizard?"

Poor thing, I can't believe that some people are so cruel that they'd let something like this go. They need heat to survive.

So the guy that saw it while driving, why didn't you hit it? Was it not in the road? This isn't someones innocent dog. This is a vicious predator with the thought process of a crocodile basically. Shoot it, run it over, anything, before someones child is taken down by it!

Who in their right mind would own one of these things? The bacteria carried in their saliva is deadly!

Seeing a 5 foot lizard at night in your headlights had to be alarming! I don't understand keeping an animal like this as a show piece. It can be caught and taken to an appropiate habitat.

Sorry but I wouldn't want to come face to face with it and sure wouldn't want any small childern or animals to come face to face with it. Shoot it if you have to JPD. This can be a dangerous animal.

the taco bell dog will be around soon looking for him. here lizard lizard lizard...

and people were so fearful of a few backyard hens. ; )

maybe the lizard wants to bring some jobs to janesville, it's just scoping out a place for a business or something, why are we wanting to catch it?

"The lizard according to animal control was a 10ft Komodo Dragon." Wikipedia -- parthenogenesis, in which females may lay viable eggs if males are absent. They are capable of running rapidly in brief sprints up to 20 kilometres per hour (12.4 mph), diving up to 4.5 metres (15 ft), and climbing trees proficiently when young through use of their strong claws. To catch prey that is out of reach, the Komodo dragon may stand on its hind legs and use its tail as a support.[19] As the Komodo dragon matures, its claws are used primarily as weapons, as its great size makes climbing impractical. The Komodo dragon typically hunts in the afternoon, but stays in the shade during the hottest part of the day. These special resting places, usually located on ridges with a cool sea breeze, are marked with droppings and are cleared of vegetation. They also serve as a strategic location from which to ambush deer. Komodo dragons eat by tearing large chunks of flesh and swallowing them whole while holding the carcass down with their forelegs. For smaller prey up to the size of a goat, their loosely articulated jaws, flexible skull, and expandable stomach allow it to swallow its prey whole. The vegetable contents of the stomach and intestines are typically avoided. Copious amounts of red saliva that the Komodo dragons produce help to lubricate the food, but swallowing is still a long process (15–20 minutes to swallow a goat). Komodo dragons may attempt to speed up the process by ramming the carcass against a tree to force it down its throat, sometimes ramming so forcefully that the tree is knocked down. To prevent itself from suffocating while swallowing, it breathes using a small tube under the tongue that connects to the lungs. After eating up to 80 percent of its body weight in one meal,it drags itself to a sunny location to speed digestion, as the food could rot and poison the dragon if left undigested for too long. Because of their slow metabolism, large dragons can survive on as little as 12 meals a year. After digestion, the Komodo dragon regurgitates a mass of horns, hair, and teeth known as the gastric pellet, which is covered in malodorous mucus...

everybody stop crying...its a freakin lizard, it just wants to walk around janesville, leave it alone

stupidjanesville - I totally agree with your comment. Are you and I the only ones that are concerned about the idiot that "owned" this animal? Shame on that person.

shoot the owner that let it loose,not the poor creature who did not ask for any of this.

There is no way this creature could survive the winter here. Our sewers aren't warm like the sewers of major cities. It would have to live in someone's home, not in the outdoors. Let's just hope it's caught so people don't get hysteric.

Both the Milton incident and this lizard thing makes me realize the need for city and/or county animal control officers. It is time for Rock Co. to have this kind of service. The Rock County Humane Society is an animal shelter. It is NOT our animal control service (as many do think). Police and Township official do not want to have to deal with these matters. Come on city administrators and county board, it is time for animal control service.

I am personally cheering for the lizard....JPD is dumb they will be outplayed, outwitted and outsmarted by this lizard! hahahahaha

Catch it? I hope that means shoot it and pick it up.

One more good reason to support backyard chicken coops...

Given the ravenous appetite, it should be easy to trap.
The JPD should call in some experts-most reptile advocates are very passionate about their hobby and would corral this for free, just to get it safe.

The lizard picture shows a very large and healthy specimen. This one is full grown. It can easily climb a tree to escape. Besides a nasty bite their tail is like a whip which can leave welts on your legs or arms if hit. The lizard will be sluggish at these cool temperatures. It will seek a place to sun itself to warm up. They are powerfull diggers and may try to dig a burrow for safety and warmth.

Call OYstir and HE will WATERBOARD it.

If the Milton police will hit it with a car, the Beloit police will shoot it.

I am not a lizard expert - disclaimer.

These lizards are extremely intelligent. They have shown to be able to count and use other lizards as decoys so a group can sneak in and eat. They are able to adapt to their surroundings (survival in a sewer thru the winter isn't out of the question). They can grow to be as large as 120 lbs.
With that being said, it could live in the sewer system and continue to grow. Also some breeds don't need a male to reproduce. They can lay from 7 to 37 eggs. Populating quickly.

I had a monitor lizard as a pet when I was a kid. The lizard was only four feet long. It ate a pound of hamburger and a raw egg every day. If you leave meat out it will find it. The lizard might be living off road kill. Also, watch your bird baths where there is water and small rodents.

I dont know about you guys but I am going to support the local econ and stock up on fire arms and ammo tonight lol

You know this was someone's "pet" right? Reason #105 why reptiles should be left in the zoos and rain forests.

Yes. ita bout time something exciting happened in janesville

Ya, they're good eating. Eating your dog, eating your cat, eating your whatever.

holy crap!! I wonder if that is why all the cats were screaming in my neighborhood last night.. I don't live to far from the sighting.

Are they good eating?

The lizard according to animal control was a 10ft Komodo Dragon.

If they don't catch it soon, Winter will have a say in the outcome.

I wonder if it could possibly survive the winter?

Don't call Milton for assistance. They might "bump" it with a vehicle.

<sarcasm> this is the job for the DPW.. You all know you wanted to say it.. (I just beat you to it)... Good luck catching it.... and be careful...

Don't be silly. It's campaign season. There are lots of reptiles running loose right now.