marine iguanas
Ocean-diving reptiles
Marine iguanas are large lizards found only in the Galápagos Islands, unique among iguanas for feeding on underwater algae and seaweed.
They dive into the ocean and cling to rocks while grazing, then bask on shore to warm their cold-blooded bodies.
Their dark coloring, flattened tails, and salt-expelling nasal glands are adaptations to marine life.
- lizardFour-legged scaled reptile
- swimmersThose propelling through water
- reptileCold-blooded scaled vertebrate
- GalápagosEcuadorian Pacific archipelago
- endemicNative to one area
unique species · scales · algae · claws · volcanic islands · rocky shores · thermoregulation · herbivores · basking · archipelago · tails · lava formations · Santa Cruz Island · Pacific Ocean · Charles Darwin · Darwin's finches · seaweed · diving
- EcuadorQuito, Guayaquil, Galapagos, Andes, Amazon region
- Galapagosgiant tortoises, Galapagos tortoise, giant tortoise, Darwin, Darwin's finches
- island ecologyoceanic islands, endemic species, archipelago, archipelagos, atoll
- NeotropicsAmazon basin, tropical rainforests, rainforests, Andes Mountains, Galapagos
- Pacific IslandsHawaii, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Tahiti