Golden tegu, Common tegu, Black tegu, Colombian black and white tegu, Tiger lizard (in Trinidad)
The Gold tegu (Tupinambis teguixin) is a species of lizard native to South America. They live in various habitats and are known for their large size and predatory habits.
The Gold tegu has a glossy body, powerful limbs, and a thick tail. There are many black and gold stripes down its body. Tegus use their tongues and vomeronasal organ to find chemical cues associated with their prey and other lizards. A vomeronasal organ is an organ of chemoreception located in the nasal chamber.
Gold tegus live in northern and central South America, as well as in Panama. Their South American range extends to the island of Trinidad. They inhabit tropical forests, wet savannas, fields, gardens, and edges of suburban and urban areas. They are frequently found on sea coasts and prefer areas located near water.
Gold tegus are solitary territorial lizards. They live on the ground and are adapted to digging deep burrows where they spend daytime hours. They are good swimmers and like to bathe when it gets too hot; they also like to bask in the sun. Gold tegus hunt by night actively searching and pursuing their potential prey. When confronted, tegus initially stop moving with their head held up high and then attempt to flee. They may turn aggressive if cornered, biting and attacking with the powerful tail.
Gold tegus are carnivores. They feed on insects, other invertebrates (such as snails), small mammals, other reptiles (such as smaller lizards and small snakes), birds, and fish. They also take bird eggs, turtles, and caimans. They may sometimes eat fruit and honey.
Gold tegus breed after winter brumation. Mating occurs between May and June and during this time males compete with each other for females. The female lays around 20-50 eggs in a burrow. Incubation takes about 3 months. The hatchlings are able to take care of themselves right after birth, They spend most of their time in trees where they are safe from many predators. Young males of this species become reproductively mature and start to breed at the age of 18-36 months.
The Gold tegu doesn’t face major threats at present.
The IUCN Red List and other sources don’t provide the number of the Gold tegu total population size. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are stable.