Red Tegu color variations?

[Al914]

Hi,

I recently acquired a Red Tegu it's probably a year and a half old
It looks like a Black and White in pattern
However I have seen tegus that are completely red, some dark, some light
Do they all become completely red at full size?

 

[TeguBuzz]

Would it be possible for you to post a photo of it? Reds are reds, and easy to differentiate between black and whites - even at a young age. To answer your question, at full grown size the red tint varies in each individual.

 

[Al914]

@TeguBuzz I'll post one shortly... but some pics i have seen look straight up red with almost no white, I have also seen some who seem to have a different shaped face/head

 

[Al914]

 

[Al914]

Just to clarify, I am not confusing it for a Black & white...i said, in pattern, it is the same... however i have seen reds without the pattern and much much more red

 

[TeguBuzz]

Damn that's a nice red haha. I'm liking all the white.

 

[Al914]

Heh... it's very nice
very docile as well
So... am i right that there are different variations?

 

[Roadkill]

Indeed there is a lot of different variations in this species as well.

 

[Al914]

Thanks...It seems there is a different red all together (not argentine)

 

[TeguBuzz]

Thanks...It seems there is a different red all together (not argentine)

What are you referring to? The "Paraguayan"?
If so, it is nothing more than a business label. All red tegus are Tupinambis rufescens or Salvator rufescens (as I believe Roadkill has stated they changed the name recently).

 

[Roadkill]

This is exactly why I wish people would learn the scientific names, then you know they're talking about the species, and why I wish people would drop the "area" epithet usage as well. The way common names get bandied about and used differently by different people, you aren't sure what they're talking about. Considering that in general usage that "Argentine" red tegu is pretty much synonymous with Salvator rufescens, when someone claims there's a non-Argentine different red altogether.....it really makes me wonder what they're talking about.