A Southwest Florida family said a monitor lizard is living in their attic.
Monitor lizards can be extremely dangerous, and experts warn to keep your pets and fingers away from them.
The resident, Danny To, said he had been hearing scratching noises around the roof for the last nine months. His neighbors told him last month they saw a monitor lizard on his roof, but he didn't believe them.
On Tuesday, he actually saw it for himself.
"I saw this 4-foot monitor lizard. The thing was huge! I thought I saw a ghost or something," To said.
He said the lizard quickly ran through a hole in the soffit of his roof and into the attic.
He immediately called the Ned Bruha, the Wildlife Whisperer.
"Nile monitor lizards up in the attic? That's cool stuff," he said. "That's kid in a candy store for any red-blooded American."
Bruha checked the area and noticed claw marks on the tar of the roof. He believes a lizard was attracted to a rat in the attic, broke through the soffit, and made it his home. Inside the attic, he found bird feathers.
"A bird doesn't just go into the attic and explode and his body disappear," Bruha said.
He said it's in the family's best interest to reinforce the home.
"This has been going on for approximately nine months, so we have no idea if there's one or 21 that call this home," Bruha said.
"I want that thing out of my house ASAP! It's getting hard to sleep!" To said.
Bruha said it's clear the lizard has been coming and going. He said he'll first set up cameras to watch the lizard before reinforcing the home to make sure the family doesn't have to deal with this again.
