Marine Iguana

The marine iguana, also known as the sea iguana, saltwater iguana, or Galápagos marine iguana, is a species of iguana found only on the Galápagos Islands. Unique among modern lizards, it is a marine reptile that has the ability to forage in the sea for algae, which makes up almost all of its diet. Small marine iguanas can be eaten by Galapagos hawks, snakes, rodents and introduced species such as cats and dogs. When fully grown, however, they have no naturally occurring predators in their habitats, a fact which makes them largely indifferent to humans and any other intruders for that matter. Behavior: Marine iguanas are found predominantly along rocky shores, females or immatures often basking together in large numbers. The only marine lizard in the world, feeding on marine algae either obtained from the splash zone or by diving close to the shore, can spend up to 1 hour underwater. Marine iguanas are the world's only oceangoing lizard. They are also only found in the Galápagos, where they can be seen resting on the rocky shores. Marine iguanas are the only lizards on Earth that spends time in the ocean. They live only on the Galapagos Islands, and like many Galapagos species, they have adapted to an island lifestyle. Populations across the archipelago have been isolated from each other for so long that each island has its own subspecies.

Scientific name: Amblyrhynchus cristatus

Conservation status: Vulnerable

Mass: 1.1 – 3.3 lbs

Clutch size: 1 – 6

Length: 2 – 3.3 ft. (Female, Adult)

Family: Iguanidae

Kingdom: Animalia