Day 19 - Galapagos Iguanas

 


  


Galapagos has many endemic animals such as Sea Lions and Tortoises, but some species we haven’t talked about yet are the iguanas of Galapagos. Currently, there are four species of iguanas in the Archipelago: the most prominent of them is the Marine Iguana, found on Isabela, Santa Cruz, San Cristóbal, and Fernandina Islands; the Pale Land Iguana, restricted to Santa Fe Island; the Yellow Land Iguana distributed on Fernandina, Isabela, Santa Cruz, North Seymour, South Plaza, Santiago, and Baltra Islands; and the Pink Iguana, a species discovered just a few years ago that inhabits only Wolf Volcano on Isabela Island. 

So far we have only seen the Marine Iguanas, which are incredible at camouflaging themselves against the black volcanic rocks that litter the coast of the Galápagos Islands. Can you find the marine Iguana that is camouflaged in the picture of the sea lion? These creatures are very interesting. Marine iguanas are the only reptile species that dives under water to look for food. Not only that, but the adult marine iguanas can dive for up to an hour at a time! However, the cold ocean water could be too extreme for these iguanas and in order to raise their body temperature they are often seen basking in the sun. If they do not properly regulate their body temperature before a dive they can become immobilize in the water and drown. 

The diet of a marine iguana usually consists of algae. Due to the recent El Niño there has been a decrease in the amount of algae available, because of this the iguanas have been forced to change their diet. They have started eating small crustaceans, and we have even seen them eat the fish scraps from the fish market. This has caused the marine iguanas to shrink by up to 20%. Some researchers even believe that the iguanas bones actually shrink by 10%! Once more food becomes available the marine iguanas will be able to grow back to their original size. 

- Cole and Diego

Comments

  1. AnonymousJuly 30, 2023 at 7:52 AM

    cite your sources! 🤣

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousJuly 31, 2023 at 1:47 PM

    wow! that is so cool :) the galapagos have crazy wild life - more info on that please!!!

    ReplyDelete

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