Argentine black and white tegu

plural Argentine black and white tegus

1. the largest tegu lizard, native to eastern and central South America (Salvator merianae).

   Tupinambis merianae, otherwise known as the Argentine Black and White tegu, has had a complicated taxonomic history […]

   2005 September 29, Joanna Carolyne Piercy, Estimating metabolic rate in tegu lizards (Tupinambis merianae): can one calculate oxygen consumption from heart rate?, Vancouver: University of British Columbia, →DOI, page 10

   2 more examples

   A large, opportunistic lizard, the Argentine black and white tegu is at home in a variety of habitats, including villages and the outskirts of cities.

   2014 July 21, Chris Mattison, “Reptiles”, in Nature Guide: Snakes and Other Reptiles and Amphibians (DK Nature Guides; 5), New York: DK Publishing, →ISBN, page 175

   The Argentine black and white tegu, already a problem in Florida and Georgia, has the “potential to be a big issue” if the reptile is able to establish itself in the region[…]

   2024 January 2, Amaris Encinas, “South Carolina fears non-native tegu lizards could take root and wreak ecological havoc”, in USA Today, archived from the original on 14 Jan 2024

   Synonyms: Argentine giant tegu, black and white tegu, huge tegu