Missing 4-Foot Tropical Lizard Found in Rochester [Updated]

UPDATE (8/10/23): Porkchop has been found! He was reportedly located Wednesday afternoon in Northeast Rochester near Calvary Cemetery and the person who found him refused to accept the reward. Keep reading to learn more about Porkchop.

original story:

A 4-foot-long tropical lizard is missing from his home in Rochester, Minnesota! If you come across a lizard that definitely doesn't look native to Minnesota, don't panic. His family is looking for him.

Missing Lizard in Rochester

The lizard's name is Porkchop and he's an Argentine black and white tegu.

Here's a picture of Porkchop:

Black and white tegus are one of many different kinds of tegu lizards. The black and white ones are the largest, though. Also, according to The Spruce Pets, they're also docile if handled regularly from an early age, which it sounds like is the case with Porkchop.

Porkchop's owner, Cody, posted on the Spotted in Rochester Facebook group asking for help finding Porkchop. He's offering a $300 reward for whoever finds him or, if he was stolen, whoever returns him.

I'm hoping he wasn't stolen but I'm a little worried. Cody told the Post Bulletin that there was no hole or anything in Porkchop's outdoor, summer enclosure that he would have escaped through. He has also used that enclosure for two years with no issues.

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Here's another picture of Porkchop:

If he did escape, though, there are a couple of things Cody mentions to keep in mind and also some interesting facts about black and white tegus that may be helpful.

How You Can Help Find Porkchop

Cody says that Porkchop is very friendly but if you see him just let Cody know (message Cody Whitehead on Facebook) so he can go capture him. He mentions that Porkchop may even walk up to you.

Some interesting facts I found on The Spruce Pets that may be helpful in looking for Porkchop: black and white tegus don't stand on their hind legs and don't climb trees, so Porkchop will be on the ground. They also like to hide, so he may be in a damp log somewhere. Also, since they're lizards, they love heat, so when it's sunny out, he may be out moving around. If it's cooler and cloudy, there's a good chance he'll be hiding somewhere.

And to everyone on Spotted in Rochester who isn't being helpful and is complaining about Porkchop being a pet, black and white tegus CAN, in fact, be perfectly fine pets.