If you have been to the Galapagos Islands, then you will certainly meet a marine iguana. The photo of this animal looks intimidating, but it is not without a special harsh beauty. Marine iguanas are reminiscent of dinosaurs that lived many millions of years ago. It is these animals that we want to pay special attention to in this article.
What does a marine iguana look like
Galapagos Islands amaze travelers with a bizarre combination of lacy foamy surf, white sands and black heaps of bas alt. And among this unusual natural beauty lives a unique creature that is not found anywhere else in the world. This is a special kind of lizard - marine iguanas. This is a solid animal with large strong paws, long formidable claws and a sharp horny crest. A sort of miniature prehistoric dinosaur, accidentally preserved to this day. The body of the reptile is covered with a dense scaly layer. The broad head is adorned with a protective spiked helmet.
Marine iguanas are armored to the tip of their long tail. The tail scales are larger, quadrangular in shape. It is laid out in transverse rows, but does not prevent the animal from moving its tail while swimming. The tail itself is flattened laterally. Large marine iguana, length measurementswhich is about one and a half meters, spends a lot of time in the sea. An adult lizard weighs 10-12 kg.
The crest on the animal's back looks very menacing. The skin scales on it are triangular, slightly elongated in shape. The legs, although they look very powerful, are quite short. The fingers are webbed to help them swim. Painted marine iguanas are brown, greenish-gray or brown.
Lifestyle
Iguanas have sharp eyesight and can swim and dive well. On land, they have no enemies, so they allow themselves to be slow and lazy. But in the water you often have to escape from sharks, so slowness here can be fatal. Therefore, the marine iguana habits adjust, depending on the environment in which it is.
Lizards' favorite pastime on land is to bask in the sun. This is due to the peculiarities of thermoregulation of the animal. The temperature of his body depends on the environment, and in order to get enough energy for the normal process of life, it is necessary to accumulate heat and distribute it throughout the body. Overheating of the marine iguana does not threaten. It releases excess heat through the skin of the belly.
Family Relations
Darwin called marine iguanas the fiends of hell, the appearance of these lizards seemed so terrible to him. But in fact, they are not too aggressive. For life, marine iguanas create family groups, which include one adult male and up to ten females. Young individuals are kept separately, but also stray into groups. Sometimes several families are combined into a large community.
Each male looks after his territory. Outsiders are not allowed on "family" lands. Seeing a stranger, the male warns of a violation of the border. He assumes a steady posture and begins shaking his head. If the intruder did not get out, then a fight begins. Usually strangers enter the occupied territory, having views of the "master's" harem, so the battles are serious.
Behavior in water
Marine iguanas rarely swim far from shore. In water, they make wave-like horizontal movements. Animals dive not for pleasure, but for food or to escape sharks. Male iguanas are bolder and stronger, they can afford longer swims than females. Juveniles always stay in shallow water.
What else can surprise a marine iguana? Scientists have collected interesting facts related to the blood circulation of these animals. In order not to rise often to the surface and not to expend excess energy, the reptile saves oxygen while in the water. Blood circulation slows down, only vital organs are supplied with blood. Thus, the lizard can survive under water for more than 1 hour.
What does the animal eat
Of course, the marine iguana looks very impressive and creepy, but it is not a predator. Marine iguanas are classified as herbivorous reptiles. They eat mainly seaweed. It was for them that iguanas learned to dive. Some types of algae entwine the coastal rocks, and the lizards carefully scrape them off.
Reproduction
Mating games are not the male iguana's favorite pastime. He is attracted to his harem only once a year. During this period, the male's scales become brighter, brown and reddish spots appear on it, which attract active females.
The fertilized female lays several eggs in the hole. Her clutch is small - 2-3 pieces. From above, the female sprinkles her treasure with warm sand. Fights often occur around masonry sites, since there are few sandy areas in the Galapagos, mostly the islands are composed of volcanic rock. Sometimes females destroy rival clutches, making room for their offspring.
Eggs mature in warm sand for about four months. Then the young appear, which joins the parent group. In the diet of young animals there is not only vegetable, but also animal food. It is necessary for babies to grow.
Marine iguanas can hardly be called caring parents. They do not protect their offspring from predators. So most of the young become prey for gulls, snakes or dogs and cats. People try to exterminate stray dogs in order to save the number of marine iguanas, but this does not help much. Unfortunately, these animals are now classified as vulnerable species.
A few words about adaptability to life
Constant contact with s alt water while swimming or eating has caused the sea lizard to develop special glands that rid it of excess s alt. These s alt glands are connected to the nostrils of the lizard.
S alt comes out when you sneeze. If nature did not take care of the creation of these glands, then the life span of lizards would be much shorter, since their kidneys would not be able to cope with excess s alt. However, due to the fact that the species' habitat is limited only to the Galapagos, it is not well understood. There is no exact information about the life span of these lizards.
