Tupinambis

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Tupinambis

Tupinambis teguixin

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Sauria
Family:	Teiidae
Genus:	Tupinambis

Species

see text

Tupinambis is a lizard genus which belongs to the family of Teiidae. These large, South American lizards are commonly referred to as tegus; Tupinambis merianae (Argentine Black and White Tegu), Tupinambis rufescens (Red Tegu), and Tupinambis teguixin (Colombian Black and White Tegu, Gold Tegu, or Common Tegu) are all common in the pet trade. Tegus are an escaped or illegally released species that has adapted to living in some of the more remote areas of South Florida.

Tegus are usually primarily carnivorous, except for T. rufescens (which is primarily herbivorous) and T. merianae (which is debatably 50/50). Tegus are considered the next evolutionary step to monitor lizards.

[edit] In captivity

The most docile and easiest to handle of the species are the Argentine Black and White Tegu and the Red Tegu. Additionally, a new variety has been recently introduced, called the Blue Tegu due to the tendency of males to become bright blue colour upon maturity. These variations grow to 2.5 feet and have a pleasant nature making them good pets.

In captivity tegus' diet should consist of mice/pinkies, crickets, and assorted fruits and vegetables to maintain a healthy diet, in addition to proper housing and UVA and UVB light setups. Typically tegus naturally go into a hibernation cycle but it has been discovered that this is not needed to maintain a their health. A perfect basking temperature of 100 F - 110 F is needed on top of a steady enclosure temperature of 80 F - 90 F during the day and just slightly cooler at night.