Native to South America, T. torquatus is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, and Suriname.

[8] T. torquatus lives mainly in open habitat types, especially restinga, part of the Atlantic Forest biome.

[11] It is associated with many other animals, including giant ameiva, coati, brown capuchin, guira cuckoo, and false coral snake.

Larger, faster males tend to dominate higher-quality territories, such as those with many hiding places and abundant sunlight.

[8] The female T. torquatus may lay several eggs at a time, but a clutch of two is common, particularly in coastal areas.

[7] Other aspects of the biology of T. torquatus have been well-studied, from the production[10] and morphology[17] of its spermatozoa, to the histology of its liver,[18] kidneys,[19][20] and red blood cells.

[21] An inventory of the parasites inside the bodies of a number of lizards found three nematode species, Physaloptera lutzi, Parapharyngodon bainae, and Oswaldofilaria chabaudi, as well as an unidentified tapeworm and an acanthocephalan.