cold blooded pets

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Pet Lizards Found Feasting on Owner's CorpseDover, DESeveral flesh-eating lizards were found feasting on the corpse of a man who was found in his apartment, police said. Police were called to Towne Court Apartments in Newark Wednesday after a relative of Ronald Huff became worried because he failed to show up for work, investigators said.Officers found Huff's body on the floor, with his pet Nile Monitor lizards feeding on his flesh. Officers found Huff's body on the floor, with his pet Nile Monitor lizards feeding on his flesh. Huff, 42, was last seen Sunday, New Castle County police spokesman Trinidad Navarro said. The state medical examiner will determine the cause of . `Aggressive' ReptileWorkers with the Delaware Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals recovered seven lizards, the smallest about 2 feet long and weighing 2 pounds, and the largest measuring 6 feet long and weighing 25 pounds. "They're alive and well," said SPCA director John Caldwell, adding that one of the reptiles recovered was acting aggressively. "Actually going toward you, mouth open," he said. "You know, snappy." Caldwell said the lizards have small but very sharp, pointed teeth and muscular, whip-like tails that can seriously injure a person. "They can cut you up, beat you up pretty good," he said. Normally Eat Birds, Eggs - Not PeopleIn the wild, the lizards eat birds and other animals, eggs and insects, Caldwell said. "In captivity, we feed them raw chicken and liver. You can also feed them hard-boiled eggs," he said. The SPCA will try to place the lizards with zoos or educational groups, Caldwell said. Barring that, they will be euthanized. Exotic Pets in DelawareCaldwell said a similar lizard was found a few months ago at a drainage pond near Bear. The lizards are considered exotic pets in Delaware and cannot be acquired without a permit from the state Department of Agriculture. State veterinarian Dr. H.W. Towers said the agriculture department stopped issuing such permits for New Castle County residents in 1997 after the county passed an ordinance to stop the proliferation of exotic pets. Caldwell said he was told that Huff was granted an exotic pet permit several years ago. Towers said that, barring any complaints, such permits are good for the life of the animal. Towers said he didn't know, however, if Huff had valid permits for any or all of the lizards. "If somebody had come for seven monitor lizards, somebody would have said something to me," Towers said.AP 1/17/2002