Environmental contaminants produce multiple consequences at different levels, with a diversity of impacts on the development of organisms. With agricultural expansion, high volumes of pesticides could generate risks to wildlife and their impact remains poorly studied. Salvator merianae appears in many diverse environments, usually where the pressure for agricultural productivity matches increased pollution. The lack of toxicological research in different species of lizards has increased in recent years. This species is a larger lizard from South America. In Argentina, there are important populations of this lizard and it is approached under sustainable use programs. This acts as an advantage owing to easy access to specimens in their natural habitat. Lack of information about genotoxicity studies, together with environmental degradation as a result of the utilization of pesticides, led us to begin a monitoring study in the tegu lizard. We adapted techniques for genotoxicity evaluation and determined baseline DNA damage in peripheral blood erythrocytes. Then, we used these to evaluate the effects induced by embryonic exposure to commercial glyphosate formulations in laboratory-controlled conditions, and the effects of pesticide mixtures under semi-natural exposure conditions and environmental exposure in natural habitats. Close monitoring of wild populations should be periodically conducted because they are exposed to different agrochemicals used in crops, and their potential to promote damage in the genetic material and other organ systems must be considered of primary importance.