Gold tegu

Goldteju ( Tupinambis teguixin )

The Goldteju ( Tupinambis teguixin ), also called Bänderteju or Salompenter, is a type in the family of rail lizards ( Teiidae ). He was described in 1758 by Linnaeus.

Dissemination

Its distribution area is the northern and central South America, ranging from Colombia, Venezuela and Guiana, on the Amazon as far as Paraguay and northern Argentina. He lives there as a bottom dweller in rainforests, savannas, in coastal areas and along rivers.

Features

The Goldteju can be up to 1.4 meters long and is black-brown, slightly bluish shimmering staining. Yellow spots on the back can be broken down to several transverse bands. At the head, neck and legs, there are white and yellow spots. He has 17 to 29 Präanal and Femoralporen.

Way of life

Goldtejus feed on insects, spiders, eggs and small vertebrates. Occasionally they also eat fruit, herbs and flowers. You can climb and swim very well and dig burrows in the ground.

Reproduction

Goldtejumännchen courting the females with a nod, sibilance and tender bite its own tail. The female expresses its readiness to mate by shaking of the head and lifting the tail. In copulation, the male bites into the neck of the female. The 4 to 32 eggs are often laid in a disrupted nest of tree termites, the termites seal afterwards. Thus, It provides a warm and safe protection. The eggs weigh 17-24 grams, are 42 to 54 mm long and 25 to 31 mm wide. After hatching, after 152-171 days, the 18 to 20 gram juveniles must pave a way out. You have a head-body length of about 8 to 8.5 inches and a 12 inch long tail. After a year, they can reach a length of 40 centimeters.