SCIENTIFIC NAME: Iguana, iguana

The Green Iguana is a large and impressive New World lizard. It has a compressed body and tail and a dorsal crest of soft spines that is more prominent in males than in females. Its tail is up to three times its body length. The cold blooded animal is an agile climber that can balance on the slenderest branch but can’t leap far. The iguana will throw itself from a branch 40-50 feet up and land on the ground. It’s an arboreal tropical forest animal that is often found near swamps, beaches, rivers, and streams. It uses water as a means of escape from danger. It’s an excellent swimmer and can remain submerged for several minutes until it feels safe. If cornered, the lizard will strike with its razor teeth, sharp claws, and whiplike tail. Green iguanas are ectotherms, which means it can’t regulate its own body internal temperature like other mammals. In order to stay cool, it will seek out shade and to warm itself, it will lay in the sun.

An iguana will lay its eggs in a burrow that it excavates itself. Several females will lay up to 70 eggs in a single burrow. The eggs are spherical, white and about 1.5 inches in diameter. The female will abandon her eggs after they are laid in a spot with a temperature of a constant 86 F.

The common iguana is widely used as food throughout its range from southern Mexico to central South America and also in the Lesser Antilles. It’s not an endangered species, but populations suffer from hunting and trapping. Young iguanas have also been popular as pets because of their bright green color.