Marine Iguanas - Amblyrynchus cristatus - on Fernandina Island in the Galapagos Islands off the coast of Ecuador
The Marine Iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus) is an iguana found only on the Galapagos Islands that has the ability, unique among modern lizards, to live and forage in the sea. It has spread to all the islands in the archipelago, and is sometimes called the Galapagos Marine Iguana. It mainly lives on the rocky Galapagos shore, but can also be spotted in marshes and mangrove beaches. In fact, Amblyrhynchus cristatus is not always black; the young have a lighter coloured dorsal stripe, and some adult specimens are grey. The reason for the sombre tones is that the species must rapidly absorb heat to minimize the period of lethargy after emerging from the water. They feed almost exclusively on marine algae, expelling the excess salt from nasal glands while basking in the sun, and the coating of salt can make their faces appear white. In adult males, coloration varies with the season. Breeding-season adult males on the southern islands are the most colorful and will acquire reddish and teal-green colors, while on Santa Cruz they are brick red and black, and on Fernandina they are brick red and dull greenish. As a cold blooded animal, the marine iguana can spend only a limited time in the cold sea, where it dives for algae. However, by swimming only in the shallow waters around the island they are able to survive single dives of up to half an hour at depths of more than 15 m. After these dives, they return to their territory to bask in the sun and warm up again. When cold, the iguana is unable to move effectively, making them vulnerable to predation, so they become highly aggressive before heating up (since they are unable to run away they try to bite attackers in this state). During the breeding season, males become highly territorial.
Size: 3413px × 5120px
Location: Fernandina Island in the Galapagos Islands off the coast of Ecuador
Photo credit: © Steve Allen Travel Photography / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
Keywords: amblyrhynchus, amblyrynchus, basking, blooded, coast, cold, cristatus, destination, ecuador, fernandina, galapagos, group, history, iguana, island, islands, lizard, marine, natural, nature, ocean, pacific, tourism, tourist, travel, wildlife, world, zoology
