A Waianae woman thought an iguana was lurking outside her home.
As it turned out, it was an illegal lizard but one not as common to Hawaii: a bearded dragon, according to the state Department of Agriculture.
State agricultural officials were notified by the woman’s son Friday, when quarantine inspectors arrived at the home at Puuhulu Road.
Inspectors were unable to determine how the bearded dragon came to be at the residence.
Bearded dragons, or Pogona vitticeps, can grow to an adult size of up to 2 feet and consume plants and small animals — including fruits, flowers, vegetables, insects and rodents, the department said.
This illegal species was 12 inches long.
“Like all reptiles, they may carry salmonella,” said department spokeswoman Janelle Saneishi.
“Also, they may bite if agitated.”
The last report of a bearded dragon was in 2014, when a Kailua resident also thought the lizard found under the house was an iguana.
State officials said iguanas are illegal to possess or transport, but there are colonies in some areas of Oahu, mainly Windward Oahu.
Bearded dragons, native to central Australia, puff out their spiky throat pouches when they are angry or excited, according to the website wonderlab.org.
In Hawaii, possessing a bearded dragon could result in a stiff penalty of up to $200,000 in fines and three years in jail.
Persons possessing illegal animals are encouraged to voluntarily turn them in under the department’s Amnesty Program, which offers immunity from prosecution.
Department officials said bearded dragons are common to the pet trade on the mainland.
Anyone with information about illegal pets is asked to call the department at 643-7378.
