What IS THIS Tegu? Help :)

[neotropicalherps]

Morphology works well for somethings but it appears that evolution has produced cryptic species in many situations and as a result the only way to sort them out is to sequence some genes and compare them. Sometimes superficial morphology - stuff like color patterns and even behavior is epigenetic so animals that are exposed to changing temperatures during embryonic development, or embryos that get slightly dehydrated or overly hydrated may develop into adults with unusual traits. So extra large sized individuals may result, or they may have stripes instead of bands, or it may impact their mate choices. But, these are still the same species until they evolve enough differences to be different enough from their parent species. There is at least one study that shows pythons well fed during their first year of life will grow to be much larger than individuals that do not receive extra calories during that first year, even though they are well fed in subsequent years. So, extreme tegus, did they evolve in nature or were they bred to be extra large?

 

[Random8A]

My decision here is to go ahead and buy this uniuqe problem child and I denied the "Extreme" I won't give up trying to learn more about these animals. But I feel its a lost cause right now. Until someone with more money and more time then I proves it out and writes a book.

Thanks folks.

 

[neotropicalherps]

I am sure it will make a great pet, just feed it well and keep it warm!