Definition of tegu in English:
tegu
nounPlural tegus ˈtɛɡuːˈteɡo͞o
A large stocky lizard that has dark skin with pale cross-bands of small spots, native to the tropical forests of South America.
Genus Tupinambis, family Teiidae: several species, in particular the common tegu (T. teguixin)
Example sentencesExamples
- Some nests had clearly been raided by tegus - large black-and-white lizards common in the reserve - and jaguar footprints and scratch marks on trees near nests implicated the big cats as well.
- The common tegu has black and white stripes or spots with smooth scales and are similar in build to monitor species.
- Argentine Black and White tegus begin breeding here in Florida around mid March until mid April.
- Adult Argentinian black and white tegus can have a variety of fruits and vegetables added to their diet.
- Even though red tegus from Argentina and Paraguay are both the same species technically, I was told that those from Paraguay are smaller in size than their Argentinian counterparts.
Origin
1950s: abbreviation of teguexin, from Aztec tecoixin 'lizard'.