Galapagos Marine Iguana Getting Some Sun (Amblyrhynchus cristatus)

Santiago Island/Isla San Salvador

Galapagos

Ecuador

South America

 

Marine iguanas tend to spend time on rocks by the water with their head upwards to soak up as much sunlight as they can at once.

 

The marine iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus) is an iguana found only on the Galápagos Islands that has the ability, unique among modern lizards, to forage in the sea, making it a marine reptile. They are able to dive down up to 30 feet into the water to find food. They have a natural ability to swim and to move around with speed.

 

Since so much of the time of the life for a Galapagos Marine Iguana is spent in the water there is still a great deal that we don’t know about them. It is known that they come to land to help with regulating their temperature. The water is too cold for them to remain in it all the time.

 

When the body temperature drops too much, they have a hard time moving and that makes them vulnerable to predators such as frigate birds and the Galapagos hawk. They will become more aggressive too when they are cooler. - Wikiperdia

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