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Black Iguana

Ctenosaura similis

Description:

From Wikipedia: "Ctenosaura similis, commonly known as the black spiny-tailed iguana, black iguana, or black ctenosaur, is a lizard native to Mexico and Central America that has been introduced to the United States in the state of Florida. It is the largest species in the genus Ctenosaura and has been recorded as the fastest-running species of lizard. Black spiny-tailed iguana have distinctive keeled scales on their long tails, which gives them their common name. They, along with C. Pectinata are the largest members of the genus Ctenosaura, males capable of growing up to 1.3 meters (4 ft 3 in) in length and females slightly shorter at .8–1 meter (2 ft 7 in–3 ft 3 in). They have a crest of long spines which extends down the center of the back. Although coloration varies extremely among individuals of the same population, adults usually have a whitish gray or tan ground color with a series of 4–12 well-defined dark dorsal bands that extend nearly to the ventral scales. Males also develop an orange color around the head and throat during breeding season with highlights of blue and peach on their jowls."

1 Species ID Suggestions

AshleyT
AshleyT 8 years ago
Black Spiny-tailed Iguana
Ctenosaura similis Ctenosaura similis


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Kiloueka
Spotted by
Kiloueka

Cancún, Quintana Roo, Mexico

Spotted on Apr 25, 2006
Submitted on May 3, 2015

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