Plate 041 · basking on a boulder IdentificationFive marks on the plate
- 1Heavy jowls in big males.
- 2Forked tongue long and dark.
- 3Reddish back with bands of pale spots.
- 4Long, thick tail about twice the body length.
- 5Strong limbs with claws for digging.
Easily confused with Black-and-white teguSalvator merianaeBlack and white with bold dark bands. More eastern and in wetter areas. The two hybridise where they meet. Four-toed teguTeius teyouMuch smaller, green, with pale stripes running lengthwise. 041 / 100 · REPTILES · TEIIDAELEAST CONCERN Red Tegu
Salvator rufescens
Iguana colorada · Argentine red tegu
The largest lizard in the northwest. Adult males turn reddish and grow huge jowls. It sleeps through the winter in a burrow and in summer roams forest edges eating almost anything.
- Total length
- up to c. 1.4 m
- Altitude
- 300 – c. 1,000 m
- Egg-laying
- spring – summer
- Winter
- dormant in its burrow
- Omnivore
- Winter dormancy
- Day-active
- CITES Appendix II
Altitude rangeFoothills and dry edges
Usual Lives where the Yungas meet the Chaco, in the foothills, sunny ravines and wooded farmland. It does not enter the wet upland forest.
FoodEats almost anything
- Insects and snailsstaple
- Fallen fruitin summer
- Eggsof ground birds
- Small vertebratesmice, toads
- Carrionoccasional
It searches for food with its forked tongue, flicking in and out all the time. It helps spread the seeds of the fruit it eats.
BehaviourSun, burrow and a long sleep
J F M A M J J A S O N D Active and breedingActive - Basks. In the morning it warms up on rocks or tracks before foraging.
- Own burrow. Digs or reuses burrows for the night and the cold months.
- Winter shutdown. It can stay inactive for up to seven months, from autumn to spring.
Where to look in Tucumán- Reserva Experimental Horco Molle
- Sierra de San Javier
- Quebrada de Lules
- Tafí Viejo