North American tegu (SciiFii)

The North American tegu (Salvator americanum), also known as the northern tegu and the American tegu, is a species of tegu of the family Teiidae that originally did not exist, but has since been created by SciiFii and introduced throughout the rainforests, swamps, forests, open woodlands, grasslands, shrublands, scrublands, and deserts across North America to help boost biodiversity. Unlike other tegu species, the North American tegu is not invasive in North America due to the species being regulated by native predators and it fills the ecological niche similar to the Old World monitor lizards. Due to not being invasive, it is legal in North America to keep North American tegus as pets, unlike the highly invasive South American tegu species. The North American tegus are notable for their unusually high intelligence and can also be housebroken. Like other reptiles, North American tegus go into brumation in autumn when the temperature drops. They exhibit a high level of activity during their wakeful period of the year. Like other tegus, the North American tegus fill ecological niches similar to those of monitor lizards, but are only distantly related to them; the similarities are an example of convergent evolution. North American tegus are capable of running at high speeds and can run bipedally for short distances. They often use this method in territorial defense, with the mouth open and front legs held wide to look more threatening. Adult male North American tegus are much larger than the females and can reach 3 feet (92 cm) in length at maturity. They may continue to grow to lengths of 4.0–4.5 feet (120–140 cm). The female North American tegus are much smaller, but may grow up to 3 feet in length from nose to tail. They have beaded skin and stripes running down their bodies. Adult females can reach a weight of 2.5–7.0 kg (5.5–15.4 lb). The North American teguthe is one of the few partially warm-blooded lizards, having a temperature up to 10 °C (18 °F) higher than the ambient temperature at nighttime; however, unlike true endotherms such as mammals and birds, these lizards only display temperature control during their reproductive season (September to December), so they possess seasonal reproductive endothermy. Like other tegus, the North American tegus are omnivorous. Juvenile North American tegus in the wild have been observed to eat a wide range of invertebrates including insects, spiders and snails. They also eat fruits and seeds. As they grow, they become more predatory and the protein content of their diet rises. They may seek out eggs from other reptiles' and from birds' nests and will eat small birds and other vertebrates. In adulthood, tegus continue to eat insects and wild fruits and such components includes desirable or essential nutrients. In captivity, North American tegus commonly are fed high protein diets that include raw or cooked flesh such as ground turkey, canned and dry dog food, commercial crocodile diet, chicken, eggs, insects and small rodents. The inclusion of fruit in the diet is recommended. The conservation status of the North American tegu is Least Concern due to successful conservation efforts, the North American tegu's wide range and its tolerance to many of the human activities.