Marine Iguana of Galapagos Island

This iguana Amblyrhynchus cristatus is an endemic species and lives in all the Islands in Galapagos living solely on the lava rocky sea beaches.

These animals may look evil or disgusting but they are not dangerous and in fact can become a nice family pet if they were not a unique and protected species of course.

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The Galapagos marine iguanas have an average size of 2 to 3 feet, their long tails are used for swimming and they are a bit different from island to island regarding its colors and size. But in the end they are all the same species.

Iguana colors change from black when they are young to a mixture of red, black and green when they are older. If you want to see the most colorful iguanas in Galapagos you should visit Espanola Island

The smallest marine iguana of Galapagos Island is found on Genovesa Island, and the largest can be seen on Isabela Island and on Fernandina Island

It is a fact that the marine iguanas from Galapagos are the only seagoing lizards in the world.

Marine iguanas need the sun to warm up because they are ectothermic or also know as cold-blooded.

The marine iguana of Galapagos Island has a rounded mouth with sharp teeth, this make it easier for iguana to scratch the algae from the rocks and feed.

Compared to the Galapagos Land Iguana the marine iguanas have long and sharp claws.

They use their claws to grip to the black volcanic rocks on the shore to avoid being pulled away by the sea waves.

Galapagos marine iguanas are considered to be good swimmers.

They use their flat tails and move their bodies fast from side to side for swimming and they can also dive to a depth of around 5 mts and sometimes more.

When the marine iguana of Galapagos Island is unable to find enough food, it gets smaller in size.

But this reduction in size is only temporary because the iguana will grow again when it finds more food to eat.

After feeding the marine iguanas will spend most of the day resting and sunbathing on the black Lava rocks near the beach.

Marine Iguanas live in large colonies, you can see hundreds of them moving and crawling around the rocks in Galapagos.

But remember they are not hostile animals so don't be afraid of them.

The marine iguana of Galapagos Island is still considered a species in risk because of the mainland's introduced animals such as dogs, wildcats, goats, pigs and also because of the last Galapagos Island Oil Spill that have become a serious threat.

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But fortunately the government of Ecuador and the Galapagos National Park are protecting the marine iguanas (and all Galapagos species) from these predators and other marine threats.

Galapagos Recommended Reading

Galapagos: A Natural History
This is an attractive and comprehensive guidebook. You will find an easy-to-use text which details the natural history of the plants and animals found in the Galapagos Islands. (This book is the "Bible" for all travelers to the Galapagos)

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