Green Iguana

scientific name

Iguana iguana

size

Weight: up to 18 lbs
Length: 5-7 ft. – mostly tail

characteristics

Color: green to dull grayish green with black stripes on tail
Senses: good sense of hear and smell • very good vision
Other: snaps tail in air to use as defense • can loose tail to predator and have it grow back • swims well • falls 40-50 ft. to ground without injury • stores fat under jaws and in necks for when food is scarce • set of pointy scales along back • long fingers and claws • male has dewlap • molt twice a year

Behavior: diurnal • arboreal • may bask and forage in groups • tend to forage in same area • adults spend most of their time immobile resting • can stay under water up to 30 minutes

reproduction/life span

Life span: live 20 yr
Mate. mate in fall, male displays include dewlap extensions, head-bobbing and pushups
Gestation. female carries eggs for 2 mo. • incubation 8-10 weeks
Clutch: lay clutch 12-30 eggs in burrow • may dig pretend burrows to confuse egg predators
Offspring: only 3-10 survive to adulthood • mature at 2 yr

diet

Wild: omnivorous • adults eats mostly leaves and fruit • will eat eggs, insects, small vertebrates, nestling birds • does not drink – gets water from food, catching rain and condensation on leaves and flowers

habitat/range

Habitat: Habitat: lower altitudes in tropical rainforest near water • spend most of time 40-50 ft in canopy • juveniles live lower in the canopy as they need more humidity
Range: Mexico to southern Brazil and Paraguay, Caribbean Islands

status

Cites II

other

important food source known • threatened by habitat destruction, pet trade and over hunting for food • eggs sold as novelty food