Wildlife of the Galapagos Islands Photo Gallery

South America Travel

	Iguanas on the Galapagos are either land or marine iguanas. Both are about the same size, growing up to about 5 ft (1.5m), have stocky heads, a ridge of spiny scales along the neck and backbones. Land iguanas are lighter in color, tan to dark brown, and have shorter scales on the backbone.
	Marine iguanas are dark brown to black and are plentiful among the islands. They are the world's only sea-going iguana, and bask in the sun along the rocky shores of the Galapagos. They vary in size by island: the smallest on Genovesa and the largest on Santa Fe.
	Marine iguanas warm themselves in the sun, then dive into the water to feed on algae until their bodies cool and they surface to warm up again. They do this several times a day, but spend most of their time sunning themselves. They are equipped with special glands which allow them to drink sea water and expel the salt. Land iguanas are inland, lesser in number, and feed on cactus .
	Male iguanas are larger than females. At mating time, the males set up territories where they try to attract females. They mate with several females and protect their territory. The female leaves the male's territory and lay their eggs elsewhere, defending them against other female iguanas.