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Argentine Black and White Tegu
Salvator merianae
-17.0666, -56.8916
Field Notes
Description:
Large Tegu, in fact the largest Tegu lizard species. Adults, as pictured grow up 4' for males and about 3' for females. They are largely black and white as the name suggests although the pale markings are often stained .yellow. The skin has a beaded appearance. The males are thickset and more muscular than females and youngsters have green heads and necks but this disappears after the first skin moult.
Habitat:
Found in central South America from Savannah and dry areas through to wet swamp margins and tropical rain forest. Often in burrows to avoid excess high temperatures. This individual was seen off the road between Cuiaba and Port Jofre in SE Brazil on the edge of the Pantanal wetlands.
Notes:
Tegu have taken the ecological niche of Monitor Lizards in Latin America. Like monitors, they are versatile and good swimmers although tend to be more terrestrial in habit. Tegu are also highly intelligent and although hibernate in cool periods are actually able to maintain a higher body temprature than the ambient one around them especially at breeding time which is very rare in reptiles. Ref: Wikipedia Argentine Black and White Tegu.
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