Marine Iguanas – What are they?

As their name suggests,
marine iguanas are set apart from the rest of their relatives
mainly because they have the unique attribute of being capable of
foraging and living in seawater. They
are only found thriving in the Galapagos Islands. That is why
their existence on the islands has branded the reptile the name
“Galapagos marine iguana”.

Let’s dive right in.

Taking
a Look at the Mysterious Marine Iguanas

The natural habitat of the
marine iguana is on the rocky shores of the Galapagos Islands but
they can likewise be seen in the mangrove and marsh beaches.

Some people such as
Charles Darwin describe the marine iguanas as the black
lizards thriving on the sea. But the truth is that these iguanas
are not usually black in color. The younger ones
take the dorsal stripe color whereas the adult ones are grayish.

Their color may be really
dull but there is a reason behind this. Such color allows them to
easily absorb heat right after they emerge out of the water. Their
food is usually the marine algae.

They expel the remaining
salts from their nasal glands as they go on with basking under the
heat of the sun. The salt contained in their bodies makes their faces
appear whiter.

They
Vary in Color

More so, the mature male
marine iguanas have a varying color—all of which depend on
the existing season. During the breeding season, the adult males
become teal-green or reddish in color.

Those thriving in Santa
Cruz appear in black and red brick while those found in Fernandina
come in dull green and brick red colors. Their sizes likewise differ
which depends on the island that they live on.

Those found in the whole
of Isabela and Fernandina are the largest marine iguanas on
the entire island chain of the Galapagos. Meanwhile, the smallest
ones are found on Genovesa.

Marine
Iguanas are Poikilothermic Animals

As they are poikilothermic
animals, these iguanas
can spend very little time out in the cold sea when they dive for
their algae food. Thus, they commonly swim in the very shallow waters
of the islands.

After swimming, they
proceed to bask in the sun to warm their bodies up again. During the
cold days, marine iguanas cannot effectively move thus making
them more vulnerable to their predators.

Since they cannot move
fast, they will stick their tails up in the air and bite their
enemies. During the entire breeding season, the male marine
iguanas mate with the females then will guard them against the
rest of the male reptiles.

Food
Availability Affects Their Size

Marine iguanas
adjust their sizes to be able to adapt to their food availability.
There was a time during the onset of the El Niño when the algae
decreased in number so the iguanas
actually decreased in their lengths too.

When the food supply
started to normalize, the reptiles returned to their normal size. The
marine iguanas are not as fast as the rest of their relatives.

When taken as pets, their
predators become the dogs and cats. They can be easily attacked by
these predators since they are too slow and tamed.

There
are Laws Protecting Marine Iguanas

To date, the government of
Ecuador has set up laws that aim to protect the existence of marine
iguanas. There are artificial nesting sites which had been made
in the smaller islands so that there will be less predators around
that can harm them.

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