| Salvator | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Argentine black and white tegu (Salvator merianae) | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Teiidae |
| Genus: | Salvator Duméril & Bibron, 1839 |
| Type species | |
| Salvator merianae Duméril & Bibron, 1839 | |
Salvator is a genus of lizards known as tegus which belong to the family Teiidae.
Tegus are large reptiles, with some species reaching a total length of around 1.23 m (4.0 ft), [1] and a weight of approximately 6.8 kg (15 lb). These opportunistic, wide-ranging lizards can be found in a variety of habitats, from swamps to rain forests to savannas and cities. [2] Although terrestrial, they are capable swimmers, able to remain submerged for up to 22 minutes and having even been caught in gill nets set at sea. [3] Biomechanical studies have shown that tegus have stronger limb bones than comparably-sized mammals or birds, a trait that may be inherent to amphibians and reptiles. [4] They exhibit social and maternal behaviour; female tegus construct burrows to lay their eggs in, and will protect their brood until they hatch. Up to 35 eggs are produced in a clutch. [5] Tegus will hibernate together in groups, though males exhibit territorial behavior towards each other. [6] Tegus exhibit sexual dimorphism. Males display greatly expanded and prominent "jowls" along the base of the lower jaw. These jowls are the result of extensive growth of the ventral pterygoideus muscles (a prominent jaw closing muscle in reptiles). [7] [8] Though both sexes exhibit hypertrophy of the ventral pterygoideus muscle, likely in response to their durophagous habits, [9] male tegus show both greater relative and absolute muscle mass compared to females. [9] Further evidence for sexual selection of these jowls comes from observations that ventral pterygoideus muscle mass increases in males during the reproductive season. [10] Metabolic changes also occur during the reproductive season, in which the body temperature is increased up to 10 degrees Celsius and sustained internally like a bird or a mammal. [11] This discovery has major evolutionary implications, providing support for the hypothesis that endothermy may have evolved in response to parental care. [12]
Tegus are omnivorous, foraging for a wide range of foods using their forked tongues, including fruit, fungi, various arthropods, small vertebrates, carrion, and eggs. [13] The amount of meat that is consumed by tegus decreases as the animals mature. [14] As adults, tegus have few predators. Among them are big cats, birds of prey and large snakes. [15] Tegus defend themselves using their powerful jaws, which can exert forces of up to 1000N. [16] A bite from an adult tegu can crush human fingers. [17]
Though more terrestrial (morphologically less well-adapted for climbing into tree canopies or for swimming), tegus fill an ecological niche in South America similar to that filled by monitor lizards in Africa, Asia and Australia, and are an example of convergent evolution. Though similar in appearance to monitors, tegus are not closely related and can be distinguished by their larger heads, shorter necks, heavier bodies and different arrangement of the scales on the body and tail. Monitors have laterally compressed tails, well-suited for aquatic propulsion, while tegus' tails are more cylindrical or even broader than high. In addition, tegus are facultative bipeds [18] while monitors are obligate quadrupeds. [19]
Tegus are among the most commercially exploited reptiles in the world. Up to 1,000,000 are harvested annually in their native Argentina for their hide and meat, [20] and are particularly important as a source of income in rural or indigenous communities. [21] Tegus can also be found in captivity, where they are bred for the pet trade. They are reported to be highly intelligent, becoming docile as they mature and in some cases even ignoring food in favor of social interaction. [22] However, tegus have demanding husbandry requirements due to their large size. [23]
Within their native range, tegus are often thought of as pests, sometimes raiding chicken coops to feed on the eggs or fowl. [24] They are noted predators of ground nesting bird [25] and crocodilian eggs, and in some areas 80% of spectacled caiman nests are destroyed by tegus. [26] In Florida, they have become an invasive species, and prey on the eggs of American alligators instead. Predation by feral tegus may pose a threat to Florida's endangered wildlife, such as the Key Largo woodrat and the American crocodile. [27] Due to their fruit eating habits, tegus may serve an important ecological function by dispersing seeds through their droppings. [28]
Listed alphabetically. [29]
| Image | Scientific name | Common Name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salvator duseni (Lönnberg, 1910) | yellow tegu; it is synonymous with Tupinambis duseni, Tupinambis rufescens and Tupinanbis duseni [30] | Paraguay, Bolivia and Brazil | |
 | Salvator merianae Duméril & Bibron, 1839 | Argentine black and white tegu, blue tegu, Chacoan giant tegu | Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay |
 | Salvator rufescens (Günther, 1871) | red tegu | Argentina, Bolivia and Paraguay. |
Warm-blooded is an informal term referring to animal species whose bodies maintain a temperature higher than that of their environment. In particular, homeothermic species maintain a stable body temperature by regulating metabolic processes. Other species have various degrees of thermoregulation.
Lizard is the common name used for all squamate reptiles other than snakes, encompassing over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The grouping is paraphyletic as some lizards are more closely related to snakes than they are to other lizards. Lizards range in size from chameleons and geckos a few centimeters long to the 3-meter-long Komodo dragon.
Reptiles, as commonly defined, are a group of tetrapods with an ectothermic ('cold-blooded') metabolism and amniotic development. Living reptiles comprise four orders: Testudines (turtles), Crocodilia (crocodilians), Squamata, and Rhynchocephalia. As of May 2023, about 12,000 living species of reptiles are listed in the Reptile Database. The study of the traditional reptile orders, customarily in combination with the study of modern amphibians, is called herpetology.
Teiidae is a family of autarchoglossan lizards native to the Americas. Members of this family are generally known as whiptails or racerunners; however, tegus also belong to this family. Teiidae is sister to the Gymnopthalmidae, and both families comprise the Teiioidea. The Teiidae includes several parthenogenic species – a mode of clonal reproduction. Presently, the Teiidae consists of approximately 150 species in eighteen genera.
Crocodilurus is a monotypic lizard genus consisting of one species, the crocodile tegu, belonging to the family Teiidae. Its common name is the 'crocodile' tegu, due to its appearance and fondness for water, and is locally known as the jacarerana. This semi-aquatic, predatory lizard has a flattened, paddle-like tail, enabling it to swim with ease.
Tupinambis is a lizard genus which belongs to the family Teiidae and contains eight described species. These large lizards are commonly referred to as tegus. T. merianae, T. rufescens, and T. teguixin are popular in the pet trade. They are primarily found in South America, although T. teguixin also occurs in Panama.
An endotherm is an organism that maintains its body at a metabolically favorable temperature, largely by the use of heat released by its internal bodily functions instead of relying almost purely on ambient heat. Such internally generated heat is mainly an incidental product of the animal's routine metabolism, but under conditions of excessive cold or low activity an endotherm might apply special mechanisms adapted specifically to heat production. Examples include special-function muscular exertion such as shivering, and uncoupled oxidative metabolism, such as within brown adipose tissue.
The Asian water monitor is a large varanid lizard native to South and Southeast Asia. It is one of the most common monitor lizards in Asia, ranging from coastal northeast India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, mainland Southeast Asia, and southern China to Indonesian islands where it lives close to water. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. It was described by Laurenti in 1768 and is among the largest squamates in the world.
The mangrove monitor, mangrove goanna, or Western Pacific monitor lizard is a member of the monitor lizard family with a large distribution from northern Australia and New Guinea to the Moluccas and Solomon Islands. It grows to lengths of 3.5 to 4 ft. It is also known as wbl yb in the Kalam language of Papua New Guinea.
The six-lined racerunner is a species of lizard native to the United States and Mexico.
The Argentine black and white tegu, also known as the Argentine giant tegu, the black and white tegu, or 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.
The gold tegu, also known as the golden tegu, common tegu, black tegu, Colombian black and white tegu and tiger lizard, is a species of tegu.
Iguana is a genus of herbivorous lizards that are native to tropical areas of Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. The genus was first described in 1768 by Austrian naturalist Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti in his book Specimen Medicum, Exhibens Synopsin Reptilium Emendatam cum Experimentis circa Venena. Three species are placed in the genus: the green iguana, which is widespread throughout its range and a popular pet, the marine iguana and the Lesser Antillean iguana, which is native to the Lesser Antilles. Genetic analysis indicates that the green iguana may comprise a complex of multiple species, some of which have been recently described, but the Reptile Database considers all of these as subspecies of the green iguana.
The Noronha skink is a species of skink from the island of Fernando de Noronha off northeastern Brazil. It is covered with dark and light spots on the upperparts and is usually about 7 to 10 cm in length. The tail is long and muscular, but breaks off easily. Very common throughout Fernando de Noronha, it is an opportunistic feeder, eating both insects and plant material, including nectar from the Erythrina velutina tree, as well as other material ranging from cookie crumbs to eggs of its own species. Introduced predators such as feral cats prey on it and several parasitic worms infect it.
Lee Fitzgerald is Professor of Zoology and Faculty Curator of Amphibians and Reptiles in the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences at Texas A&M University. His biological specialty is the evolutionary ecology and conservation biology of amphibians and reptiles (herpetology). Fitzgerald is a former editor of Herpetological Monographs.
The red tegu is a lizard native to western Argentina, Bolivia and Paraguay. It is sold in the pet trade around the world due to its ease of care and relatively docile nature.
Tegu is a common name of a number of species of lizards that belong to the families Teiidae and Gymnophthalmidae. Tegus are native to Central and South America. They occupy a variety of habitats and are known for their large size and predatory habits.
Salvator duseni is a species of lizard in the family Teiidae. The species is sometimes known commonly as the yellow tegu. It is native to South America.
Anotosaura vanzolinia, also known commonly as Vanzolini's anotosaura, is a species of lizard in the family Gymnophthalmidae. The species is endemic to Brazil.
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