Green Iguana
Green Iguana
The Green Iguana is a large lizard and is probably the largest species in the iguana family. Also known as the Iguana Iguana or Common Iguana, it is native to Central and South America as well as the Caribbean Islands. They are quite common in Guadeloupe Archipelago, mainly in Grande-Terre Island, Les Saintes Archipelago and Basse-Terre Island.
Description
The Green Iguana can weigh up to 18 pounds (8 kg) and reach a length of 5 to 7 feet (1.5 to 2 metres). Males are larger than females.
This iguana has a long body covered with soft leathery scales, a long tail, short legs and feet with 5 very long toes with sharp claws on the ends, used especially for climbing. The tail is very long and can be 2/3 of the total length; the iguana generally used it as a weapon and for balance when climbing on trees.
Green iguanas possess a row of spines along their backs and tails which helps to protect them from predators. At the base of their heads, they have a spiny dorsal crest and a dewlap underneath their chins. The dewlap is particularly developed on males.
The Green Iguana has excellent vision, enabling it to detect shapes and motions at long distances.
The Green Iguana also has very sharp teeth that can literally shred leaves and even human skin. Those teeth are broad, flat and leaf-shaped, with serrations on the edge. They are situated on the inner sides of the jawbones which is why they are hard to see in smaller specimens. Individuals could reach 25 years in age.
Colour
The ground colour of the Green Iguana may vary depending of the geographical range. It becomes darker with age and gets dark stripes on the side of the body and the tail. Female and juvenile male iguanas are much brighter than adult males.
Green Iguana
Habitat
Green Iguanas are very diurnal and also arboreal. They live in the light-shade mosaic of trees alongside rivers, lakes and mangrove swamps, as well as in relatively open, arid areas if food resources are sufficient.
Feeding
The species is herbivore with a diet that includes leaves, flowers, and fruits from a wide range of shrubs and trees. On the other hand, juvenile Iguanas easily feed on insects, spiders, eggs and small vertebrates.
Reproduction
Green iguanas are oviparous. The female Green Iguana lays clutches of 20 to 70 eggs once per year during a synchronised nesting period. After egg laying, there is no parental protection apart from defending the nesting burrow during excavation.
Hatchlings emerge from the nest after 10–15 weeks of incubation. Once hatched, young iguanas look similar to adults iguanas in colour and shape. However, they look much more like adult females than males and lack dorsal spines.
Famous places where you’ll find the Green Iguana in Guadeloupe Archipelago
- Les Saintes Archipelago, more precisely in the botanical garden of Fort Napoléon in Terre-de-Haut Island
- Southern Grande-Terre
- Eastern coast of Basse-Terre Island, known as the Windward Coast
Since the 10th February 2014, the Green Iguana is no longer listed as a protected species in Guadeloupe Archipelago. Indeed, the Green Iguana population is currently expanding to the detriment of the endangered Lesser Antillean Iguana (Iguana delicatissima) population.
Male Green Iguana
