Meet the Tegu lizard, painted here by Maria Sibylla Merian. Tegu are intelligent and very social, known to seek out human affection like a pet dog. Exotic animal veterinarian Dr. Mark gushingly calls them “the best, the perfect pet lizard.” We don't know Merian’s opinion of the tegu, but she certainly painted this one with a smile on his face.
In 1699, Merian sold 255 paintings to fund a research trip from her home in Amsterdam to Suriname in South America. For two years she explored the Dutch colony there, documenting the local flora and fauna. This lively fellow was painted during her trip, and is an Argentine black and white tegu (Salvator merianae), a large species found in South American rainforests and savannas.
