Wild Green Iguana
The species was first officially described by Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1758.[2] In the two centuries since then, no less than 17 species and subspecies have been identified with all but one species (Iguana delicatissima) being found to be invalid.[2] Using nuclear and mitochondrial DNA-sequence data to explore the phylogenic history of the green iguana, scientists from Utah Valley State College studied animals collected from 17 different countries.[3] The topology of phylogeny indicated that the species originated in South America and eventually radiated through Central America and the Caribbean.[3] The study revealed no unique mitochondrial DNA haplotypes for subspecific status but did indicate the deep lineage divergence between Central and South American populations.[3] The word iguana is derived from a Spanish form of the Taíno name for the species: iwana.[4][5] In some Spanish speaking countries, males of the species are referred to as gorrobo or ministro and juveniles are called iguanita or gorrobito.[6]
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Photo credit: © DEEPU SG / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
Keywords: green, iguana, iguanidae, lizard, reptiles, wild
