An Up Close Look at a Black-and-White Tegu Lizard Who Made Itself at Home in the Florida Everglades

While searching the Florida Everglades in the early morning, Brave Wilderness host Coyote Peterson and team located a beautiful Argentinian black and white tegu who had just woken up from a nap in the shade. As the sun warmed, the lizard became a little more awake and a little more feisty, scratching Peterson’s arm as he showcased the beauty of the animal. He also explained that the tegu is an invasive species that threatens the survival of the native fauna and could not be release this lizard back into the wild. Instead, the tegu has a safe, happy home waiting for him with a local nature center.

It makes me sad to say that this is one of the few times when I catch an animal
and I cannot release it back out into the wild. This is an invasive species, but the good news for this lizard is that we have a research group that’s going to take it in and it’s now going to become an educational animal to teach people why the tegu doesn’t necessarily make a good pet and how they’re becoming a problem here.