Tegus are native to Central and South America and belong to the lizard family Teiidae. They occupy a variety of habitats and are known for their large size and predatory habits, although they also eat fruit and some seeds. Tegus are renowned for their painful and damaging bites that are stronger than that of a Dwarf Caiman! They become used to people in places where they are not persecuted, and make good pets. This Argentine Black and White Tegu lizard head (Salvator merianae) was sunning itself on the lawn in the grounds of the Belmond Hotel das Cataratas in the Brazilian section of Foz do Iguaçu (Iguassu Falls). It then moved off, flicking its pink forked tongue to sample scents in the air as it searched for food. Later in the day the Tegu retired to its ‘burrow’ – a hole on a stone wall in the hotel grounds.