Reproductive and Fat Body Cycles of the Tegu Lizard, Tupinambis teguixin, in the Llanos of Venezuela

Abstract

Lizards of the genus Tupinambis are large and, in places, common teiids of the tropical and subtropical regions of South America (Vanzolini, 1993). While the taxonomy of the genus is being clarified (Avila-Pires, 1995; Fitzgerald et al., 1999), aspects of their ecology, including reproductive patterns, remain largely unknown. Moreover, many thousands of individuals of two species in the genus, T teguixin and T rufescens are killed for their skins every year in southern South America (Norman, 1987; Fitzgerald, 1994a, b) making them important from a conservation viewpoint. Adult Tupinambis teguixin, often called T nigropunctatus (Avila-Pires, 1995) and known as black or common tegu lizards, weigh 1-2 kg and measure up to one m total length. They can be found in a variety of habitats in tropical South America, east of the Andes (Vanzolini, 1993). They are largely omnivorous, although animal prey, including vertebrate eggs and insect larvae, are preponderant in their diet (Herrera, 1980; Mercolli and Yanosky, 1994). Tupinambis appear to hibernate in southern South America (Gallardo, 1970) but they are active throughout the year in the