Galapagos land iguana facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Galápagos land iguana |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Conolophus
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| Species: |
subcristatus
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The Galápagos land iguana is a very large species of lizard found on the Galápagos Islands. Its Latin name is Conolophus subcristatus.
Contents
Description
Land iguanas grow to a length of 0.9 to 1.5 m (3–5 ft). They can weigh up to 13 kg (29 lb), depending upon which island they are from.
They are cold-blooded, which means they absorb heat from the sun by basking on volcanic rock. At night they sleep in burrows to conserve their body heat.
These iguanas are also friends with birds because birds help them remove parasites and ticks. This friendship is a win-win for both species as it provides relief to the iguanas and food for the birds.
Diet
Land iguanas are mainly herbivorous; however, some individuals supplement their diet with insects, centipedes and carrion.
Because fresh water is scarce on its island habitats, the Galápagos land iguana uses moisture from the prickly-pear cactus, which makes up 80% of its diet. All parts of the plant are consumed, including the fruit, flowers, pads, and even spines. During the rainy season it will drink from available standing pools of water and feast on yellow flowers of the genus Portulaca.
Life span
The Galápagos land iguana has a 60 to 69 year lifespan.
Reproduction
Galápagos land iguanas become sexually mature anywhere between eight and fifteen years of age, depending on which island they are from. Mating season also varies between islands, but soon after mating, the females migrate to sandy areas to nest, laying 2–20 eggs in a burrow about 50 cm (20 in) deep. The eggs hatch anywhere from 90 to 125 days later.
Recovery efforts
The Galápagos land iguana became extinct on Baltra Island by 1954, allegedly wiped out by soldiers stationed there who shot the iguanas for amusement. However, in the early 1930s, William Randolph Hearst had translocated a population of land iguanas from Baltra to North Seymour Island, a smaller island just a few hundred metres north of Baltra, because he could not understand why no iguanas were present there. Hearst's translocated iguanas survived and became the breeding stock for the Charles Darwin Research Station captive breeding program that has successfully reintroduced the species to Baltra and a number of other areas. Visitors today frequently see iguanas on both the runway of the Baltra airport or while they cross the road.
Interesting facts about the Galápagos land iguana
- The Galápagos land iguana is one of the largest lizards in the world.
- Charles Darwin described the species as "ugly animals", pointing out that they have a "stupid appearance."
- Land iguanas were so abundant on Santiago Island at one time that Charles Darwin remarked that "...we could not for some time find a spot free from their burrows on which to pitch our single tent".
- At present their population is between 5,000 and 10,000.
- Researchers believe that Galápagos land iguanas and marine iguanas evolved from a common ancestor since arriving on the islands from South America.
- On South Plaza Island, where the territories of marine iguanas and land iguanas overlap, the two sometimes interbreed, resulting in a hybrid iguana that shows a mixture of features from each species.
Taxonomy
In addition to the relatively widespread and well-known Galápagos land iguana (C. subcristatus), there are two other species of Conolophus: the Galápagos pink land iguana (C. marthae) from northern Isabela Island and the Santa Fe land iguana (C. pallidus) from Santa Fe Island.
See also
In Spanish: Conolophus subcristatus para niños
