Unique traits of the Galapagos marine iguana
Unique traits of the Galapagos marine iguana
Marine iguanas (Amblyrhynchus cristatus) of the Galapagos Islands.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Marine iguanas (Amblyrhynchus cristatus) of the Galapagos Islands.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.The land iguana (Conolophus), a species endemic to the Galapagos Islands.↵(39 sec; 6.6 MB)
Transcript
NARRATOR: The swimming marine iguana is unique to the Galapagos Islands.
This dark, sluggish creature is common along the shores of most of the islands, sometimes covering the coastal rocks in hundreds.
When in the water, tail and body propel the iguana with a kind of serpentine motion. The legs, although partially webbed, are not used in swimming. The marine iguana is the only lizard that regularly feeds at sea. Its food consists of varied seaweeds found on the ocean bottom and on shore rocks at low tides.
The sunbaked lava shores provide a place for this cold-blooded animal to warm itself after feeding.
Burrows are constructed for the purpose of laying eggs.
Like many oceangoing vertebrates, the marine iguana is able to drink seawater. Special glands located in the head allow it to rid the body of excess salt, which is ejected from the nostrils in a fine spray.
This dark, sluggish creature is common along the shores of most of the islands, sometimes covering the coastal rocks in hundreds.
When in the water, tail and body propel the iguana with a kind of serpentine motion. The legs, although partially webbed, are not used in swimming. The marine iguana is the only lizard that regularly feeds at sea. Its food consists of varied seaweeds found on the ocean bottom and on shore rocks at low tides.
The sunbaked lava shores provide a place for this cold-blooded animal to warm itself after feeding.
Burrows are constructed for the purpose of laying eggs.
Like many oceangoing vertebrates, the marine iguana is able to drink seawater. Special glands located in the head allow it to rid the body of excess salt, which is ejected from the nostrils in a fine spray.