Description
The marine iguana, sometimes called the Galapagos marine iguana, is an iguana found only on the Galapagos Islands. It has the unique ability to live and forage in the sea, making it a marine reptile. Young marine iguanas are typically black and have a lighter colored dorsal stripe. Adult males vary in color with the season and the ones on the southern islands are the most colorful and will acquire red and teal-green colors, while the iguanas on the more northern islands are brick red, black, and a dull greenish color. Their snouts are much shorter and blunter than land iguanas with nostrils on the distal end of the head and wide set eyes. They have great vision and can hear fairly well with eardrums located below the subtympanic shield.
Marine iguanas differ in size, depending on the island they live on. The Iguanas living on the islands Fernandina and Isabela are the largest while the iguanas living on the island of Genovesa are the smallest. Males can be up to 5 feet long and females up to 4 feet long, both weighing anywhere from 1 to 4 pounds. They typically have dark scaly skin that helps them absorb heat so their recuperation time after feeding is much quicker.
Marine iguanas differ in size, depending on the island they live on. The Iguanas living on the islands Fernandina and Isabela are the largest while the iguanas living on the island of Genovesa are the smallest. Males can be up to 5 feet long and females up to 4 feet long, both weighing anywhere from 1 to 4 pounds. They typically have dark scaly skin that helps them absorb heat so their recuperation time after feeding is much quicker.