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Land iguanas live on trees and stays on top to bask in the sun to normalize their body temperature. They are look similar to and could be mistaken as ordinary lizards if not for its size which is much larger. These tree dwelling lizards are agile and are good swimmers. Most often they stay on trees where there is a body of water nearby. The water is always its escape when they are threatened by predators. Being fast movers they also transfer from one place to the other. Sometimes they can be spotted crossing a road.
The Marine Iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus) however moved not as fast but they are better swimmers and they stay in seawater coastlines as their home because they live on eating algae. The iguana can only be found only on the Galapagos Islands The entire coastline is inhabited by marine iguanas. Their ability is unique among modern lizards, to live and forage in the sea. It has spread to all the islands in the archipelago and is sometimes called the Galapagos Marine Iguana. It lives on the rocks of the Galapagos shore and can be seen in marshes or mangrove beaches.
Amblyrhynchus cristatus are mostly black but the young have lighter color and a dorsal stripe. Adult specimens appear in grayish color. Scientists explain that marine iguanas have to have dark black emerge from water. They feed on marine algae almost entirely. It is brilliant that they are designed to expel salt through nasal glands. The expelled salt coating could make their faces white. Adult males vary in color according to season. During breeding season, male adults in the south appear as reddish and teal-green colors while it is brick red and black in Sta Cruz Island and in brick red and greenish in Fernandina Islands.
The marine iguanas living in the Galapagos differ in size according to their host islands. Those in the Fernandina and Isabella islands are the largest, while those on the Genovese Island are the smallest. Adult male’s length may reach up to 1.3 m long while females could be around 0.6 m. They may weigh up to 1.5 kg.
Marine iguanas may also vary in their size according to varying food conditions. When algae decreased for a period of two years during an El Nino, Their length size decreases to as much as 20%. When the food supply normalized, their lengths returned to regular size. It is believed that their bones shrink during those periods of food shortage.
The marine iguana can only stay a limited period in water as to hunt for algae as they are cold blooded animals. However, if they search for food around shallow waters, they could stay up to half an hour and underwater. After each dive, they return to the shore and bask under the sun to normalize body temperature. When cold, the marine iguanas tend to be more aggressive. Actually that is their defense mechanism because in reality, as their body is cold from under the water, they cannot move fast and avoid predators. So they become aggressive when anyone approaches them.
The main predators of marine iguanas are cats and dogs. They are easy victims as these lizards moves very slow. The population of the marine iguanas in the Galapagos Island is dwindling because of predation and El Nino. They are estimated at 50,000 to 100,000. The species is protected by Ecuadorian laws.
Scientists believe that land and marine iguanas may have evolved from common ancestor. Other opinions claim that they may have evolved from an extinct sea reptile.
The Marine Iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus) however moved not as fast but they are better swimmers and they stay in seawater coastlines as their home because they live on eating algae. The iguana can only be found only on the Galapagos Islands The entire coastline is inhabited by marine iguanas. Their ability is unique among modern lizards, to live and forage in the sea. It has spread to all the islands in the archipelago and is sometimes called the Galapagos Marine Iguana. It lives on the rocks of the Galapagos shore and can be seen in marshes or mangrove beaches.
Amblyrhynchus cristatus are mostly black but the young have lighter color and a dorsal stripe. Adult specimens appear in grayish color. Scientists explain that marine iguanas have to have dark black emerge from water. They feed on marine algae almost entirely. It is brilliant that they are designed to expel salt through nasal glands. The expelled salt coating could make their faces white. Adult males vary in color according to season. During breeding season, male adults in the south appear as reddish and teal-green colors while it is brick red and black in Sta Cruz Island and in brick red and greenish in Fernandina Islands.
The marine iguanas living in the Galapagos differ in size according to their host islands. Those in the Fernandina and Isabella islands are the largest, while those on the Genovese Island are the smallest. Adult male’s length may reach up to 1.3 m long while females could be around 0.6 m. They may weigh up to 1.5 kg.
Marine iguanas may also vary in their size according to varying food conditions. When algae decreased for a period of two years during an El Nino, Their length size decreases to as much as 20%. When the food supply normalized, their lengths returned to regular size. It is believed that their bones shrink during those periods of food shortage.
The marine iguana can only stay a limited period in water as to hunt for algae as they are cold blooded animals. However, if they search for food around shallow waters, they could stay up to half an hour and underwater. After each dive, they return to the shore and bask under the sun to normalize body temperature. When cold, the marine iguanas tend to be more aggressive. Actually that is their defense mechanism because in reality, as their body is cold from under the water, they cannot move fast and avoid predators. So they become aggressive when anyone approaches them.
The main predators of marine iguanas are cats and dogs. They are easy victims as these lizards moves very slow. The population of the marine iguanas in the Galapagos Island is dwindling because of predation and El Nino. They are estimated at 50,000 to 100,000. The species is protected by Ecuadorian laws.
Scientists believe that land and marine iguanas may have evolved from common ancestor. Other opinions claim that they may have evolved from an extinct sea reptile.
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