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Here's a topic for debate. I was thinking...how does tegu coloration serve to camouflage them in the wild? I can see how reds might blend in somewhat well...but blues and black and whites??? What could a white and black lizard possibly blend in with? My only thought is maybe it serves as a false venomous coloration...Any thoughts would be most appreciated.

chris and diego
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my guess would be like it's the same thing with zebras, those guys are blaringly obvious to us but not to a lion who is colorblind to a degree.. the zebra stripes blend them in with the tall grass

as for a tegu's spottiness, it would help them blend in with ground coverings and whatnot to a colorblind predator

The theory behind a zebra's stripes is that they break up the out line of the individual animals. Most preditors, such as lions single out a target animal. If you all blend together it's hard to be singled out.

If you see a tegu in the wild or outdoors you will notice that the black and white pattern is great camoflage in the dapaled light in forests and other shaded areas. Check out the teu video from Agama International. It's pretty cool. It's 90 minutes long and it has footage of tegus in the wild in Argentina and back at the "farm".

Brian