The Americas are home to the vast, attractive green iguana. Despite their name, green iguanas may be found in various hues. They may be green, purple, crimson, orange, black, or even reddish brown in hue. They may also have bright blue patterns and be bluish in hue. Green iguanas are protected from predators by a row of spines that runs up their backs and along their tails.
Their whip-like tails may be used to inflict piercing blows, and like many other lizards, an iguana can let its tail break if captured, allowing it to flee and grow a new tail. Iguanas also have a well-developed dewlap that aids in controlling their body temperature. In territorial displays and courtships, this dewlap is utilized.
Distribution
Anguilla
Antigua & Barbuda
Aruba
Bahamas
Belize
Bolivia
Bonaire Sint Eustatius And Saba
Bonaire Sint Eustatius And Saba
Brazil
British Virgin Is.
Cayman Islands
Colombia
Colombian Caribbean Is.
Costa Rica
Curaçao
Dominican Republic
El Salvador
Fiji
French Guiana
Grenada
Guadeloupe
Guatemala
Guyana
Honduras
Japan
Martinique
Mexico
Montserrat
Nicaragua
Nicaraguan Caribbean Is.
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
Puerto Rico
Saint Barthélemy
Saint Lucia
Saint Martin
Saint Vincent
Sint Maarten
Spain
Suriname
Trinidad & Tobago
US Virgin Islands
United States
Bolivarian Republic Of Venezuela
Venezuelan AntillesDid you know?
- Green iguanas have excellent vision, enabling them to detect shapes and motions at long distances.
- Green iguanas have a white photosensory organ on the top of their heads called the parietal eye. It is also called the third eye, pineal eye, or pineal gland. This “eye” cannot form images but is sensitive to changes in light and dark and can detect movement. This helps the iguana detect predators stalking it from above.
- Green iguanas have very sharp teeth that are capable of shredding leaves and even human skin.
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Terrestrial / Aquatic
Altricial / Precocial
Polygamous / Monogamous
Dimorphic (size) / Monomorphic
Active: Diurnal / Nocturnal
Social behavior: Solitary / Pack / Herd
Diet: Carnivore / Herbivore / Omnivore / Piscivorous / Insectivore
Migratory: Yes / No
Domesticated: Yes / No
Dangerous: Yes / No
