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Project Noah Nature School
Amblyrhynchus cristatus
The marine iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus) is an iguana located only on the Galápagos Islands that has the ability, unique among modern lizards, to live and forage in the sea, making it a marine reptile. The iguana can dive over 30 ft (10 m) into the water. It has spread to all the islands in the archipelago, and is sometimes called the Galápagos marine iguana. It mainly lives on the rocky Galápagos shore, but can also be spotted in marshes and mangrove beaches
Spotted on Sep 13, 2007
Submitted on Nov 7, 2012
4 Comments
Again, great shot, CindyCor! Thanks for your very informative descriptions! That's what citizen science is all about.
Cammie, the Marine iguanas in this picture are babies. They can get pretty big, like 2 feet from nose to the tip of the tail. You can get right next to them. I have several photos (not on Project Noah) where I have my feet in the photo next to them. Sometimes they spit saltwater at you if you try to get your face too close to them. They are great divers and can stay under the water for up to 20 minutes feeding. I have several other photos of marine iguanas in my PN collection here so check them out. I also have photos of the Land Iguanas they also have in Galapagos which are much bigger and yellow in color.
I had no idea that they were divers! How big were they? Can you get close to them? I've never seen iguanas outside of a pet shop. Lol
incredible...so many!!!!!