Argentine+Black+and+White+Tegu

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= = //Tupinambis merianae // Order: Squamata

=**__Husbandry Information__**=

Housing Requirements
//**Temperature guidelines: **//
 * Ambient range: 75-90 degrees F.
 * Basking spot: 95-110 degrees F.

//**Humidity: **//
 * 50-80%

//**Daily Husbandry: **//
 *  Fresh water from the tap is fine. Remove any feces that appear. Monitor temps/humidity.

//**Weekly Husbandry: **//
 *  Heavily mist holding area 3 times a week. Animal can be placed in a shallow tub of room temperature water twice a week for a soak. No need to soak longer than 15 minutes.

//**Monthly Husbandry: **//
 * Change out substrate completely.

//**Substrate/Water Quality: **//
 *  Can use fresh tap water. Newspaper is too messy for this digging lizard. Cypress or coconut mulch, and aspen shavings are adequate. Unless you can give 12-20 inches of substrate depth, a hide box is important for this burrowing lizard’s well-being.

//**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Lighting: **//
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">UVB is essential for this animal. Also high powered heat lamps are important to give this animal its high basking temps. Cycle should be 12L/12D.

Diet Requirements

 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">This species is an omnivore. Feed 6 days/week with alternating days of appropriately sized rodents and fruit. Frequency of feedings subject to change.

Veterinary Concerns

 * It is important to soak this animal. The tegu at Roger William's Park Zoo came from the RISPCA and had been not properly cared for by his owner. He has many layers of shed on his tail that our keepers try to pull off after soaking when they can.

Notes on Enrichment & Training

 * The tegu at Roger William's Park Zoo is very food motivated. He is target trained and will walk on a harness. It is important to use tongs during training sessions as he is very fast and could easily bite. We never use food on programs or walks as we have no need to do such. His harness is a modified small dog harness.

=__Programmatic Information__=

Tips on Presentation

 * Because the tegu at RWP zoo is shown on a harness, it is important to interpret the harness properly. Many people think that because he seems so relaxed on walks that he would make a good pet. We always include information about humane education in presentations.

Tips on Handling

 * The tegu at RWP zoo will only tolerate being held for a minute tops. We really only pick him up to put him in his (very large) cooler. We include 2 heat discs if the outdoor temperature is below 50 degrees.
 * heat discs: http://www.snugglesafe.co.uk/heatpad.htm
 * See the [[file:Tegu Handling Guidelines.pdf|Tegu Handling Guidelines]] from the Roger Williams Park Zoo for more information on handling, presentation, and enrichment.

Potential Messaging

 * This is an impressive animal for rainforest presentations.
 * If you get your tegu from a local shelter, you can add in humane education talking points.

=__Acquisition Information__=

Tegus are often available from local shelters. However, they have a reputation for being aggressive. Be sure to meet the tegu and handle before adding to your collection.

=__Comments from the Rating System__=

=__Natural History Information__=

Range and Habitat
<span style="font-family: MetaBoldLF-Roman,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Geographic Range: <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype',serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Tropical & subtropical Columbia, Venezuela, and Guyana through the Amazon Basin of Venezuela and Columbia along the larger rivers to Paraguay and northern Argentina.

<span style="font-family: MetaBoldLF-Roman,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Habitat: <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype',serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Tropical rain forests, savannahs and flatlands with thorn bushes. Along rivers in hilly grasslands with subtropical trees. Also found on coastal, sandy areas with grass and trees.

Physical Description
ü <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype',serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Reaches a maximum length of 140 cm ü <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype',serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Base color is blackish brown with a light blue sheen – along the back are numerous bands of yellow spots of various sizes. These bands extend to the tip of the tail. A series of irregular whitish yellow flecks cover the head, throat and limbs. ü <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype',serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Pineal eye on top of head senses light & dark

Reproduction
ü <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype',serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Males follow female – hissing loudly and biting her tail. ü <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype',serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Females often lay eggs in termite mounds where eggs are kept at a constant temperature and humidity is favorable to their development. After hatching, the young break out from the termite mound. ü <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype',serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Clutches may consist of 4-32 eggs. ü <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype',serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Eggs hatch within 152-171 days

Behavior
ü <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype',serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Ground dwellers – often found in forest clearings ü <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype',serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Dig own burrows ü <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype',serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Excellent climbers & swimmers ü <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype',serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Visually oriented - highly active, running, climbing, or swimming for a good portion of their lives and as might be expected from their level of activity some maintain high body temperatures for a reptile (up to 40*C). ü <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype',serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">At least nine genera with more than 110 living species.

Threats and Conservation Status
This species is rated as "Least Concern" by the IUCN (<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">[] for more information.)

=__Did you know…__= >
 * ü <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype',serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">The fossil record shows this family was more widely distributed in the past with upper Cretaceous fossils from Mongolia.

=__Photographs__=

=__Contributors and Citations__=
 * Jen Rudolph- Manager of Ambassador Animal Programming- Roger Williams Park Zoo -- see our [[file:Argentine Tegu.pdf|Info sheet]] for more!