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Iguanas are lizards identified by their heavyset stature , the saggy pelt on their throats and the spines that protrude from their heads , necks , back and tails . Iguanas are democratic pets and can live 15 to 20 year if cared for decently .
Size
The longest of the common iguana is the green iguana . It grow to between 5 and 7 pes ( 1.5 to 2 meters ) long from nose to tail . The smallest of the group is the spiny - tailed iguana , which grows to 4.9 to 39 inch ( 12.5 to 100 centimeters ) long . The heavy Iguana iguana is the blue iguana . It can librate up to 30 lbs . ( 14 kilograms ) , grant to the San Diego Zoo .
Habitat
Iguanas like warm temperatures because they are dusty full-blooded . This means that the outside temperature is what keep them warm since they have no way to mold interior heat with their own bodies . These lizards are find in Mexico , Central and South America , the Galápagos Islands , on some of the Caribbean island , Fiji and Madagascar . They typically go in tropical and subtropical wood , desert and coastlines , according to theSan Diego Zoo . The University of Florida also reports that there are common iguana running costless in south Florida due to people gear up their pets unaffixed .
Diet
Overall , most iguanas are herbivore and only consume flora such as flower buds , fruit and untested leaves . The marine iguana will get its meal by altercate algae from rocks in the sea or by munching on sea weed , harmonize toNational Geographic . Pet common iguana and some wild iguanas enjoy worms , crickets and baby mice along with vegetation .
Habits
common iguana are social creatures that eat and dwell together . manlike Iguana iguana are very territorial , though , and will fight other encroaching manly iguana . It is easy to identify male iguanas that are not dominant . They have intermit and stubby spines that were damaged in battles with more prevalent Iguana iguana , accord to the San Diego Zoo .
Since they do n’t need to actively run for their food , common iguana are very laid back animate being . Iguanas typically spend their day hang around in the sun to keep warm and from time to time they will get up for a bite . The green iguana will scrounge in the same spot every 24-hour interval , harmonize to theSmithsonian .
Offspring
Like most lizards , iguanas lay egg , though the telephone number of eggs varies , depend on mintage . The distaff rock candy iguana set five to 20 eggs , for example , while the green iguana lays around 65 nut .
testicle are put in a burrow in a warm , gay region . The mother cover the egg and then walks away . consort to the San Diego Zoo , the burrow will rest a firm 77 to 89 degree Fahrenheit ( 25 to 32 degrees Celsius ) , which hatch the eggs until they concoct . The baby iguanas are all on their own for the three geezerhood it get to fully mature because their female parent never returns . Many young never make it to maturity .
Classification/taxonomy
There are 35 make out species of iguana , according to the University of Michigan’sAnimal Diversity Web . However , ADW reports that the Iguanid home is undergoing " much systematic revision . " The taxonomy of iguanas , according to theIntegrated Taxonomic Information System(ITIS ) , is :
Kingdom : AnimaliaSubkingdom : BilateriaInfrakingdom : DeuterostomiaPhylum : ChordataSubphylum : VertebrataInfraphylum : GnathostomataSuperclass : TetrapodaClass : ReptiliaOrder : SquamataSuborder : IguaniaFamily : IguanidaeGenera : Amblyrhynchus , Brachylophus , Conolophus , Ctenosaura , Cyclura , Dipsosaurus , Iguana , SauromalusSpecies : Examples include :
Conservation status
consort to theInternational Union for Conservation of Nature(IUCN ) , iguana are among the most peril animals in the mankind . In the wild , common iguana ' numbers are drop drastically due to red ink of home ground and predators . TheFiji banded iguana , for example , is constitute on only two islands , and its universe has drop by 50 percentage in the retiring 30 to 45 days .
TheGalápagos pink estate iguanais label as critically endanger . As of 2012 , only one small population existed in an sphere of less than 25 square kilometers ( 9.6 square mile ) . Only 192 fledged members were counted . TheUtila spiny - track iguanais also consider critically endangered . It ’s only found on the island of Utila , Honduras , and its population is believe to be less than 5,000 .
Other facts
The Galapagos marine iguana is black . The dingy colour help occupy estrus from the Lord’s Day after a swimming in the ocean to keep the lizard strong . Marine iguana also have flatten out tails that let them drown through the water like crocodile .
Green iguanas are tough . They can pretermit from a branch up to 40 feet ( 12 meters ) luxuriously , hit the ground and hold out , harmonize toNational Geographic .
In fundamental and South America , hoi polloi raise and eat iguanas .
The desert iguana,Dipsosaurus dorsalis,is one of the 66 species of lizards the researchers studied in their analysis.
Additional resources
An adult Grand Cayman blue iguana on its namesake island.
An adult Grand Cayman blue iguana on its namesake island.
The green, or tree, iguana (Iguana iguana) from South America, is just one of the live species on display in Darwin, the most in-depth exhibition ever mounted on this highly original thinker, 21 May 2025, through 5 April 2025, at the American Museum of Natural History.
