Bringing The World Home To You

© 2025 WUNC North Carolina Public Radio
120 Friday Center Dr
Chapel Hill, NC 27517
919.445.9150 | 800.962.9862
Donate
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Already a Sustainer? Click here to increase now →
CREEP

Black And White And Banned All Over* *Almost

By Elizabeth Friend,
Laura Pellicer, Charlie Shelton-Ormond
Published July 26, 2022 at 5:27 AM EDT
Ways To Subscribe
An illustration of a purple couch with big green leaves around it. On the couch are three giant lizards that have black and white patterns on them. The text on the illustration reads "Black And White And Banned All Over* *Almost."
Iris Gottlieb

Tegus are armed with a metabolic superpower and a powerful appetite for eggs, but they’re also easily domesticated, making them both beloved family pets and unwelcome hungry pests. Throughout the South, these giant lizards are raising eyebrows, breaking hearts and launching lawsuits.

Highlights from Repticon in Raleigh this spring:

Two lizards that are awake lie on top of two other lizards whose eyes are closed. They are in an enclosure with mulch on the bottom of it.
1 of 7  — PXL_20220319_183503158.jpg
Elizabeth Friend
A table covered with circular plastic containers filled with reptiles - one reptile per container.
2 of 7  — PXL_20220319_182542225.jpg
Elizabeth Friend
A man holds a lizard in his hand. The lizard is larger than his forearm.
3 of 7  — PXL_20220319_183846703.jpg
Elizabeth Friend
A table with a black tablecloth over it and a logo that says "Royal Reptilia dot com" hold showcases with snakes in them. The glass showcases are the size of shoecases, and there are bright lights over the cases.
4 of 7  — PXL_20220319_182350352.jpg
Elizabeth Friend
A giant toad sits in an enclosure that has brown dirt on the bottom of it.
5 of 7  — PXL_20220319_181237512.jpg
Elizabeth Friend
An armadillo peers out from a small animal carrier.
6 of 7  — PXL_20220319_181340858_3.jpg
Elizabeth Friend
A table with bat bodies in glass frames for sale on it.
7 of 7  — IMG_3473.jpg
Charlie Shelton-Ormond

Have you had a tegu encounter? We'd love to hear about it. Email podcasts@wunc.org.

This episode was produced by Charlie Shelton-Ormond. Matt Horton and Sean Roux mastered the audio.

Our thanks to the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh.

Tags
Season Two CREEPInvasive SpeciesPetsHerpetologyReptiles
Elizabeth Friend
Elizabeth Friend grew up in North Carolina listening to public radio in the backseat of the family station wagon. She has been reporting and producing at WUNC since 2016, covering everything from Army history to armadillos. She's also the co-founder of the beloved summer event series Audio Under The Stars. In her spare time she enjoys exploring the outside world with her family, dabbling in esoteric crafts, and cheese.
See stories by Elizabeth Friend
Laura Pellicer
Laura Pellicer is a digital reporter with WUNC’s small but intrepid digital news team.
See stories by Laura Pellicer
Charlie Shelton-Ormond
Charlie Shelton-Ormond is a podcast producer for WUNC.
See stories by Charlie Shelton-Ormond
Latest Episodes