The Iguanas of St. John
 Iguana photo by Gene Pollard |
Iguanas are reptiles found in the Caribbean, Madagascar, Fiji, The Galapagos Islands and Tonga. Baby iguanas are bright, almost florescent green while adults range from a dark green to brown and black. The iguana's skin is rough and has pointed scales on the back of the neck.
THE GREEN IGUANA or Iguana iguana is a lizard that lives in a tropical rainforest climate and habitat. They are active during daylight hours. Males can grow to 6 feet in length and females can grow to 4 feet Iguanas are found in Central and South America and in countries as far away as Fiji and Papua New Guinea. Their daily life consists of finding a sunny spot to bask in, eating, and avoiding predators.
Iguana photos
by Gary Beckwith
Iguanas use visual signals to communicate with each other. They are believed to communicate through a series of rapid eye movements which are easily noticed by other iguanas because of their excellent eyesight. Iguanas can become aggressive without warning so monitoring an iguana's body language is very important to prevent bites. If you own a pet iguana, make sure anyone handling him knows the risks so you can avoid a call from a personal injury lawyer. Thousands of iguanas are brought to a rescue society, such as the San Diego Herpetological Society, each year because their owners don't know how to take care of them or they simply got too big. While green iguanas like those found on St. John are considered the most common lizard pet, the desert iguana found in the vicinity of San Diego and the Sonoran desert are much smaller and may be an easier pet to handle.
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 Iguana Baby photo by Lisa Crumrine The young iguana are bright green color which helps to camouflage it's body within the bright green leaves of the lower canopy of the rainforest. Quick movements and excellent eyesight help the young iguana avoid capture. As the iguana grows and matures, it loses it's bright green color and becomes a more muted green. |
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The
larger iguana prefers a different habitat...the higher, less
dense, less humid environs of the upper canopy. Being "cold-blooded",
the iguana must heat it's body to a high temperature daily.
In the morning, the iguana ventures into the sunlight to take
in the sun's warmth. The sun provides the iguana with another
important service. The heat from the sun helps the iguana digest
it's previously eaten meal. Once heated, the iguana can move
more quickly and spends a good part of the rest of the day
foraging for leaves, tender shoots, and fruit. Later in the
day, the iguana will bask again and perhaps go for a quick
swim in a nearby river, before returning to it's protected
resting spot high in the trees. |
 photo by Gary Beckwith |
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