A close up photograph detail of the forearm and hand of a Marine Iguana, Amblyrhynchus cristatus, on the pale sand of Gardner Bay, Isla Espanola, Galápagos. The strong fingers and long, sharp claws help the larger males, in particular, to cling to algae-covered underwater rocks while they feed.
Marine Iguanas are endemic to Galápagos, where there are six currently-identified subspecies, on different islands. They are the world’s only sea-going lizards. They can be seen around the island’s coasts and are often very tame – sometimes you have to step over them! They often have white ‘crusts’ on their foreheads, formed when they snort salt from the seawater out of their noses.
The two Marine Iguanas on the right have the ‘salt caps’, and being the Española Island subspecies venustissimus, are colourful, being red and black all year with the addition of blue-green in the breeding season.
Marine Iguanas are endemic to Galápagos, where there are six currently-identified subspecies, on different islands. They are the world’s only sea-going lizards. They can be seen around the island’s coasts and are often very tame – sometimes you have to step over them! They often have white ‘crusts’ on their foreheads, formed when they snort salt from the seawater out of their noses.
This photograph is copyright © Liz Leyden, all rights reserved.
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