The Galapagos Land Iguana

nature-trail (58)in #nature • 7 years ago

For some people, lizards scurrying along the walls creep them out, and a lizard catching them off guard makes them scream.

But there are always some people who love even the creepiest creatures, as it is not the look from outside that matters to them.

So, let us learn a few things about lizards then.

They have a quadrate bone that can move, and their skeleton is robust and primitive. They can detach their tails to save themselves from predators and can communicate by changing their body colours or moving their body.

Turtles, tortoises, crocodiles, lizards, snakes and alligators are all reptiles.

Beautiful or creepy reptiles comprise 60 % of all the living creatures. Reptiles are the most fascinating creatures in the world.

One of these fascinating reptiles is "Galapagos Land Iguana".

Galapagos Land Iguana (Conolophus subcristatus)

^{Image Source: Pixabay}

A species of lizard native to the Galápagos Islands.

The estimated population of land iguana is around 5,000 to 10,000. Land iguanas dwell mostly in the Galapagos. They are herbivorous, though some of them are opportunistic carnivores, snacking on small insects and centipedes sometimes.

Charles Darwin thought Galapagos Land Iguanas were ugly animals, being yellowish orange beneath, and of a brownish-red colour above and from their low facial angle, they have a singularly stupid appearance.

Yellow coloured reptiles are very rare, but one among them is Galapagos iguana as it has a combination of black and orange hues.

They can lay up to 20 eggs at one time in burrows which are 50 cm deep.

They grow up to a length of 1.5 meters (3-5 feet) and weigh 11 kg (25 pounds) and bask on volcanic rocks in the Galapagos Islands, mainly Fernandina, Isabela, Santa Cruz, North Seymour, Baltra, and South Plaza.

They have a lifespan of 50-60 years.

It is a living dinosaur.