Argentine Black and White Tegu For Sale

Description

The Argentine black and white tegu for sale (Salvator merianae), also known commonly as the Argentine giant tegu, the black and white tegu, the blue tegu, and the huge tegu, is a species of lizard in the family Teiidae. The species is the largest of the “tegu lizards”.

It is an omnivorous species which inhabits the tropical rain forests, savannas and semi-deserts of eastern and central South America. It is native to south and southeastern Brazil, Uruguay, eastern Paraguay, Bolivia and Argentina.

Argentine Black and White Tegu For Sale are sometimes kept as pets by humans. They are notable for their unusually high intelligence and can also be housebroken. Like other reptiles, tegus go into brumation in autumn when the temperature drops. They exhibit a high level of activity during their wakeful period of the year. They are the only known extant non-avian reptiles to be partly endothermic.

Tegus fill ecological niches similar to those of monitor lizards, but are only distantly related to them; the similarities are an example of convergent evolution.

The Argentine black and white tegu for sale is in the order Squamata and the family Teiidae,^[7] which also includes racerunners and whiptails. There are nine total genera of “tegus” (though new taxonomic classifications change), with the Argentine black and white tegu being assigned to the genus Salvator.

The specific name, merianae, is in honor of German-born naturalist Maria Sibylla Merian, a naturalist and artist who studied insects, plants, and reptiles from the 17th to the 18th centuries.

As a hatchling, Salvator merianae has an emerald green color from the tip of its snout to midway down its neck, with black markings. The emerald green becomes black several months after shedding.

As a young tegu, the tail is banded yellow and black; as it ages, the solid yellow bands nearest to the body change to areas of weak speckling. Fewer solid bands indicates an older animal. A tegu can drop a section of its tail as a distraction if attacked. The tail is also used as a weapon to swipe at an aggressor; even a half-hearted swipe can leave a bruise.^{[citation needed]} The tegu can live up to twenty years. 

Tegus are capable of running at high speeds and can run bipedally for short distances. They often use this method in territorial defense, with the mouth open and front legs held wide to look more threatening.^{[citation needed]}

Adult Argentine Black and White Tegu For Sale males are much larger than the females and can reach 3 feet (91 cm) in total length (tail included) at maturity. They may continue to grow to total lengths of 4–4.5 feet (120–140 cm).^{[citation needed]}

The females are much smaller, but may grow up to 3 feet (91 cm) in length from nose to tail tip. Females have beaded skin and stripes running down the body. Adult females can reach a weight of 2.5–7.0 kilograms (5.5–15.4 lb).