The green iguana is possibly one of the most well-known iguanas overall, especially in the pet trade. Originally from South and Central America, they have been introduced to various different places around the world. If you want to keep learning more about these awesome and fascinating reptiles, then keep reading!
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Quick Facts
Scientific Name: Iguana iguana
Common Names: Green Iguana, Common Green Iguana, Common Iguana
Geographic Range: Naturally From Southern Mexico to central Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia, and the Caribbean
Introduced To Grand Cayman, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, Guadeloupe, and the United States
Life Span: 8 – 20+ Years
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Top 10 List – Green Iguana
1. Green Iguanas Spend Most Of Their Time Up In The Trees
Green iguanas are arboreal, with adults hanging out on the tops of the tree canopies and the juveniles hanging out lower down. This is why they prefer forested areas such as lowland rainforests, lowland dry forests, as well as along the forest’s edge. They can live approximately 65 – 100 feet above ground in the trees, and can survive a 15.2 meter (50 feet) fall unscathed. Green iguanas do best in areas that have temperatures in the upper 30s C (90s F), as well as areas with water because of their ability to swim.
2. They Are Large Lizards, And Can Weigh More Than 8 KG
As mentioned in the next section, green iguanas can actually come in many colors despite having green in their name. Adults tend to be more uniform in color, with banding on their tails. Young iguanas are usually more blotchy/banded in color than adults, although this is not always the case. Their color can also depend on other things such as mood, temperature, health, as well as hormones. In the mornings when it is cooler they tend to darken their color to absorb more heat, and in the daytime may lighten to avoid absorbing too much heat and overheating.
In size, these large lizards range from 1.2 – 2m (3.9 – 6.6 feet) in total length and weigh anywhere from 2 to over 8 kg (4.4 – 17.6 pounds). They have a large dewlap under their chins and large spines that run from their neck to their tails, which are long and strong. In males, the dewlaps and spines tend to be larger and more pronounced. Their sharp teeth are broad and flat with serrated edges. The large scale on each side of their heads is called a subtympanic plate.
Lastly, they have an “eye” on the top of their head called the parietal eye, sometimes it is referred to as a third eye, pineal eye, or pineal gland. This “eye” has a basic retina and lens. It cannot form images, but it is sensitive to changes in light and dark and can detect movements. It is thought this is to help the green iguana detect predators above them, like hawks.
3. Despite Their Name Being Green Iguana, They Can Be Many Colors Other Than Green
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Photo Source
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If you want to see more cool iguana colors check out our article on different iguana colors.
Despite their name, green iguana, green iguanas actually come in many colors other than green. The first reason for this is because of morphs, with reptile breeders having worked on producing various different morph colors, like albino and axanthic. The second is that iguanas just come in many different colors in the wild, with different localities of green iguanas having other colors being common as well.
The southern countries of their range, like Peru, tend to have blue-ish iguanas with bold blue markings. Islands like Bonaire, Curaçao, Aruba, and Grenada have green iguanas that can range from green to black, lavender, and reddish-brown. The western regions of Costa Rica are red, and in their northern range, like Mexico, they appear orange.
4. Surprisingly Good Swimmers, They Are Often Found In Areas Near Water
Green iguanas are diurnal, meaning they are awake during the day and spend a lot of time basking in the sun and looking for food. They bask in the sun because, like most reptiles, they are cold-blooded and rely on the sun to help warm up their bodies so they can properly function. They are surprisingly good swimmers, often choosing to sit on branches near water for an easy escape. A cool fact is they are even able to hold their breaths for up to, or possibly even more than, 30 minutes, which is a really long time!
Males are very territorial and aggressive towards other males, especially during the breeding season. They will try and scare away the other male by head bobbing, extending their dewlap, puffing up their body, and occasionally hissing. In the rare cases this doesn’t work they will lunge and try to bite at each other.
5. Young Green Iguanas Will Group Together For Safety
Before breeding season starts, male green iguanas will establish their territory, which can have multiple females in it that the male will court. Breeding season is usually during the dryer months so that by the time the eggs hatch it is the wet season and the hatchlings will have more access to food. Male green iguanas will court females by bobbing their heads, extending and retracting their dewlaps, and nuzzling and biting the female’s neck. Males may also turn orange during the breeding season, due to hormones.
Approximately 65 days later the female will lay her eggs. Over 3 days she will lay anywhere from 10 – 70 eggs. She’ll lay these eggs in nests that are anywhere from 45 cm (17.7 inches) to 1 meter plus (39.4 inches) underground. These burrows/nests may be shared with other female green iguanas if nesting areas are limited. Incubation time is around 90 – 120 days, after which the young iguanas emerge from their eggs.
As soon as the baby iguanas hatch, they are independent and receive no extra care from their parents. They look similar to female green iguanas, just smaller. When they hatch they are only 7.1 – 8.1 cm (2.8 – 3.2 inches) in length. Juveniles have been observed staying in groups of various sizes with their siblings. Staying huddled together at night for safety, as well as keeping watch together for predators is a few reasons they may do this. The group may have a male leader, and males have been observed protecting females in the group.
6. Green Iguanas Are Actually Mainly Herbivores
Surprisingly, these large lizards are herbivores, and they prefer foods such as green leafy plants, flowers, or ripe fruit to maintain their large size. They may occasionally eat a small number of invertebrates, for example, they have been spotted eating snails that have been on the plants they are eating. Young iguanas need a higher protein diet to support their growth in the first 2 – 3 years of their life. In order to do this, they will eat insects and spiders, and switch to a primarily herbivorous diet as they age.
7. Despite Their Sharp Claws and Teeth, They Prefer To Run Away From Threats
There are two main groups that iguanas have to worry about as far as predators go. The first is larger birds of prey, like hawks, that tend to go after juvenile green iguanas. The second main threat is humans, for various reasons. Humans eat iguanas and their eggs, use them for crocodile bait, kill them to make leather, as well as poach them for the animal trade. They also may be killed by humans due to them being an invasive species.
While iguanas are quite large and have sharp claws and teeth, they actually prefer to run away than to try to fight or attack predators. They use their color to camouflage and blend in with leaves and foliage to avoid being spotted. Another way they keep themselves safe is by hanging out and laying on branches that overhang water so that they can jump into the water and quickly swim away if threatened. Young iguanas may be spotted in small groups, with safety in numbers and multiple pairs of eyes being able to keep watch. They can also shed a portion of their tail in order to distract predators and run away, which they then can regrow later on.
8. In Some Countries Iguanas Are A Source Of Food And Leather
In some countries green iguanas are a source of food, often being referred to as gallina de Palo, which roughly translates to “bamboo chicken” or chicken of the tree” because of their chicken-like taste and habit of hanging out in trees. They are also a source of leather and are used for boots, belts, purses, etc. Tourists love to take photos of these cool-looking iguanas, making them an interesting tourist attraction in resort areas. Green iguanas are also common in the pet trade, especially in the United States, Europe, and Japan.
9. They Have Been Introduced To And Become Invasive Species in Many Countries
A green iguana that was spotted in South Florida.
Green iguanas have been introduced to various areas around the world, becoming a well-known invasive species. The places included that they have been introduced to are the Caribbean, Fiji, and two places in the United States – Hawaii and Florida.
Caribbean
In the Caribbean, they were brought by a hurricane in 1995. A raft of uprooted trees brought 15+ iguanas 320 km (200 miles) from Guadeloupe to the Eastern side of Anguilla. As they are excellent swimmers they had no problem getting from the trees to the ground of the island.
Fiji
In Fiji, they are known as the American iguana. They were brought to Qamea in 200 by an American who wanted them to eat the insects on the island. However, this was useless as iguanas are herbivores, so the island not only had lots of insects but now large iguanas as well. They also managed to spread to three other nearby islands – Luacala, Matagi, and Taveuni. They pose a threat to native iguanas/species because green iguanas can spread salmonella.
Florida
In Florida, there are many invasive species, the green iguana being only one of around 500 non-native plants and animals. They were first spotted around the 1960s in the Miami area. According to the University of Florida, “Green iguanas were first documented in Florida in the Miami area in the early 1960s, and an exotic pet dealer is known to have purposely released more than 300 of them in that area in 1964. Since then, additional intentional and unintentional releases of pet iguanas have likely contributed to their spread in peninsular Florida.” They also possibly got here as stowaways on ships from South America carrying fruit.
There are a few different ways they wreak havoc on Florida’s ecosystem. They can transmit salmonella, eat plants in backyards, dig burrows that erode and collapse sidewalks and cause damage to infrastructure, as well as eat the nickerbean plant, which is host to the endangered Miami blue butterfly.
10. Green Iguanas Are Surprisingly Popular Pets, Despite Their Need For Lots Of Space
Green iguanas are surprisingly popular in the pet trade, making it easy for people to buy one as a pet. Because of how cheap and readily available they are (and how small they are as juveniles) many people buy green iguanas without realizing how much care and space they actually need. This can lead to poor quality of life for the iguana, as well as lead to surrendered, or worse, released iguanas. They also need a lot of patience to train them to be comfortable with their owner and can live up to 20 years, which is a long time. Another thing to be aware of is their sharp claws, teeth, and their strong tails that they can whip around when angry.
However, after mentioning all that above, it’s important to note that iguanas can make great pets for people who have enough time, patience, money, and space to house these guys. They are definitely not pets you should get on a whim, but with proper time and research you can set up the best environment possible for them. Green iguanas are extremely intelligent and able to recognize their owners. They are also easy to feed, fun to watch, and can have fun personalities that are a joy to work with. As with any pet, research and the ability to critically think about whether or not you can actually care for these animals is key.
11. Green Iguanas And Lesser Antillean Iguanas Are Sometimes Mistaken For Each Other
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Green iguanas and Lesser Antillean iguanas can sometimes be confused for each other. Both can be found in the Lesser Antilles, however, the green iguana is an invasive species in that area, putting the already endangered Lesser Antillean iguana at even more risk. Both types of iguanas have green coloring, but both are also able to be other colors as well, which can add to the confusion. However, the Lesser Antillean iguana has a more blocky, shortened face, as well as they lack the distinctive stripe pattern that green iguanas have on their tail. The green iguana also has a large round scale under their ear that the Lesser Antillean iguana lacks.
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