Argentine Black and White Tegu

Argentine Black and White Tegu care at a glance

Adult length

0.9–1.4 m (3–4.6 ft)

Adult weight

2–7 kg (4.4–15.4 lb)

Lifespan

15–20 years

Basking / warm side

43–49 °C (109–120 °F)

Cool side

24–27 °C (75–81 °F)

Night minimum

21 °C (70 °F)

Humidity

60–80%

UVB

Essential

Diet

Omnivore: whole prey, eggs, fish and some fruit

Activity

Diurnal

Lifestyle

Terrestrial

Brumates for several months each winter.

Typical values from common keeping practice, not yet reviewed. Individual animals and setups vary.

Argentine Black and White Tegu research

156 published papers in the HerpAtlas library. Most cited below, or see the latest research →

• Expert Elicitation, Uncertainty, and the Value of Information in Controlling Invasive Species

  Ecological Economics · 2017 · cited 52 times

• Diet of invasive cats, rats and tegu lizards reveals impact over threatened species in a tropical island

  Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation · 2020 · cited 37 times

• First Observations of Nesting by the Argentine Black and White Tegu,Tupinambis merianae, in South Florida

  Southeastern Naturalist · 2012 · cited 35 times

• Uses of wild vertebrates in traditional medicine by farmers in the region surrounding the Serra do Conduru State Park (Bahia, Brazil)

  Biota Neotropica · 2020 · cited 32 times

• MANAGING NON-NATIVE WILDLIFE IN FLORIDA: STATE PERSPECTIVE, POLICY AND PRACTICE

  Lincoln (University of Nebraska) · 2007 · cited 27 times

• Linear versus geometric morphometric approaches for the analysis of head shape dimorphism in lizards.

  Journal of morphology · 2014 · cited 27 times

• Evidence for an Established Population of Tegu Lizards (Salvator merianae) in Southeastern Georgia, USA

  Southeastern Naturalist · 2020 · cited 27 times

• Comparative cranial biomechanics in two lizard species: impact of variation in cranial design.

  The Journal of experimental biology · 2021 · cited 26 times

Argentine Black and White Tegu natural history notes

Field and captive observations published in Herpetological Review's Natural History Notes. Each is a single observation, summarized by us, with a link to the original.