I hope that you found these facts interesting and learned something new. The Marine Iguana appears slow and clumsy on land, but […] Marine iguanas, like most animals, have an unpronounceable latin name: Amblyrhynchus cristatus Length : 4-5 feet (1.2-1.5 m) Weight : 1-3.3 lbs (.5-1.5 kg). Marine Iguana The Marine Iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus) evolved from a mainland ancestor who arrived on the islands millions of years ago. This reptile splits its time between sunbathing on the beach and taking a dip in the ocean to cool off and cruise for food. Marine Iguanas by the Numbers Marine iguanas, like most animals, have an unpronounceable latin name : Amblyrhynchus cristatus Length: 4-5 feet (1.2-1.5 m) Weight: 1-3.3 lbs (.5-1.5 kg). They are also impacted by changes in water temperature and pollution. Scientific Name: Iguanidae Common Names: Common Iguana (for green iguana) Order: Squamata Basic Animal Group: Reptile Size: Up to 5 to 7 feet (green iguana) and as small as 5 to 39 inches (spiny-tailed iguana) Weight: Up to 30 pounds (blue iguana) Life Span: 4 to 40 years on average depending on species Diet: Fruits, flowers, leaves, insects, and snails Habitat: Rainforests, lowlands, … When the females go into the caldera to lay eggs in the soft ash, the hawks have a killing spree! This iguana thrives only on the isolated Galapagos Islands, 600 miles off the western coast of South America.

There are six very similar subspecies, each from different islands, with those from Isabela and Fernandina being the largest. This situation was horrible and thankfully the man was stopped and the iguanas are safe.

Or a light shade of gray.

The averagelength of an adult male is approximately 1.3 meters and an adult female is approximately0.6 meters in length. Experts estimate that the Galapagos marine iguana evolved from its ancestor around 5.7 million years ago, and so many of the traits for which it can be so easily distinguished from its land-dwelling cousin (its nose, tail, coloring) are adaptations to better exploit its new environment, becoming expert swimmers in the process. The only lizard truly at home in a marine environment, the marine iguana is a great swimmer and can stay underwater for up to an hour. Before it can feed, the marine iguana must increase its body temperature to approximately 36°C. They are distinguished from land iguanas by their short, blunt snouts and slightly laterally compressed tail which efficiently moves this lizard along the surface or beneath the water. Adaptations of the Galapagos Marine Iguana. On first glance of a Marine Iguana, your first thoughts would probably be of a primitive dinosaur, with its dorsal crest and primitive features. predators: Of the marine iguana are animals such as Galapagos hawks, rats, pigs, snakes, cats, dogs and great blue herons.

Marine iguanas, Amblyrhynchus cristatus (Bell, 1825), are the world’s only sea-going lizards and are a gray to black iguana with pyramid-shaped dorsal (upper) scales. They are also killed by Tiger sharks, Alligators, Crocodiles, Snakes, owls and finally Eagles.62% of the marine iguanas on the islands die. Galapagos Marine and Land Iguanas Recently, a tourist was found attempting to smuggle four iguanas out of the Galapagos Islands in a suitcase. Marine iguana is a species of iguana that found only on the Galapagos Islands (in Ecuador). SVL (Body length): 20- 23cm (8-9in) STL (Body length + tail): 51cm-69cm (20-27in) It weighs 0.45kg – 0.68kg (1-1.5lbs) Up to 1.5 years old iguana can be placed in stock terrarium like this, however, after that, you’d really want to go for a custom made enclosure: The appearance of the species may differ on the various islands and several subspecies are recognized. It weighs up to 90grams (0.2lbs) Year 1. They are considered vulnerable to extinction due to introduced cats, dogs and pigs which often eat their eggs and young iguanas. Color: “black; black like the night” (Batman). some people call them imps of darkness because their black. Its temperature can drop as much as 10°C when it is in the ocean.