A little critter hitched a ride through thousands of miles across the Pacific Ocean, from California, Hawaii and to Guam where he was finally apprehended by authorities. 

“I was sent pictures of it. Customs and Quarantine’s biosecurity were able to isolate the vehicle the lizard was seen on and the lizard was captured,” said Guam Department of Agriculture biologist Brent Tibbatts. 

Guam Customs and Quarantine intercepted the blue-bellied lizard hiding in a shipping container of cars at the port on Tuesday. 

“This is the lizard’s top side. And the underside– when the lizard was alive, these patches were bright blue. That indicates that this is a male,” added Tibbatts. 

Tibbatts identified the reptile as a western fence lizard commonly found in California.  

“We don’t want them out here. They don’t belong here, definitely,” he said. 

The lizard was euthanized Thursday. 

He said it’s a potentially invasive pest as it can be a threat to the Slevin’s Skink, an endangered lizard native to Guam. 

“If there was a pregnant female with eggs and she came in, it could be a risk of baby lizards turning up. That can cause several problems. They can compete with native lizards for food or habitat. They can carry diseases that can be given to our native reptiles,” he added. 

It’s why he gives credit to Customs and Quarantine for stopping the pest from breaching the border. 

“They were able to intercept it before it was able to get loose on Guam, which is fantastic. They don’t get enough credit for the work they do,” he said. 

If you see an unusual species, you’re asked to alert authorities by calling the pest hotline at (671) 475-PEST. 

“If it's something that’s known to be here, we’ll let you know that. If it's not known, we absolutely appreciate the extra eyes watching out for it and we’ll interact and stop it before it becomes a problem on Guam,” Tibbatts said.