Chacoan Tegus??

I often get asked what a Chacoan White Tegu is? So I decided to put a little info here to help people learn more about these awesome members of the tegu family.

The Chacoan White Tegu is a local of the Argentine Black and white tegus. Both of the animals are (Tupinambis merianae.) Chacoan White tegus are often called the Chacoan White Headed tegu. There is problem with calling them this name; the regular Argentine Black and white tegus often have white heads. Many people think they have a Chacoan tegu because theirs have a white head. The true Chacoans are more white all over and not just the head. I have many normal Argentine Black and Whites that have the white heads, but these are not the true Chacoan tegus.

The true Chacoan White Tegus are also much larger than the normal Argentine Black and White tegus. These are the animals referred to as the giant tegu. The confusion started a few years ago when the Black and Whites were being called the giant tegus. This was hard to follow when the Argentine Reds were a bit larger than the Black and Whites. So many said that the Black and Whites should not be called the giants. However, The true Chacoan White Tegus dwarf all other tegus including the Argentine Reds. They are the largest of the tegu family. Chacoan White Tegus can and do get over 5ft long as well as over 20lbs.


These very large, intelligent lizards are from South America. They are found only in the far northern part of Argentina. The region is called the Chaco plains. The Chaco plains are much warmer than the local of the normal Argentine Black and Whites, which is found farther south.

The first picture is a normal Argentine Black and White with a white head, this is not a True Chacoan White Tegu. The other three pictures are of the true Chacoan White Tegus.

Here are some more pictures of normal Argentine Black and White tegus with a white head. Note the dark bodies.

Here is another picture of the Chacoan male, he is beside a normal large adult Black n White. These tiles are 10 inch tiles.

Are you producing any Choacans this year?

I sure am, but they are mostly spoken for already. I am only breeding two females.

look at the jowls on them guys there huge .... I had a columbian tegu not to long ago but he didnt like me to much lol ... great lookin tegus tho
joe