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Green Iguana
Iguana Iguana
12.2005, -68.3036
Field Notes
Description:
Hatchling Iguana.
Maybe a few days old. About 16cm. The Iguana has a pendulous dewlap under the throat, a dorsal crest made up of dermal spines that run from the mid neck to the tail base, and a long tapering tail. The laterally situated eyes are protected mainly by a immovable eyelid and freely mobile lower eyelid. On the dorsal midline of the skull behind the eyes is a parietal eye. This sense organ, although not a true "eye," serves as a meter for solar energy, and aids in the maturation of sex organs, thyroid gland, and endocrine glands. The visual effect of this "eye" is mostly limited to the detection of predatory shadows from above.
The scales or plates on the head are larger and more irregular than the scales on the rest of the body. Below the tympanum there is a large rounded scale called the subtympanic plate. (De Vosjoli, 1992; Frye, 1995; Oldham and Smith, 1975)
Habitat:
In a garden on a horsetail plant, swinging in the wind , in the morning sun.
Bonaire, near the beach.
Notes:
This little one was in the same spot a few days in a row, in early morning when the sun hit her plant.
Too cute.
Fun fact...
In the morning, while body temperature is low, skin color will be darker, helping the lizard to absorb heat from sunlight. However, as the hot mid-day sun radiates upon them, these animals become lighter or paler, helping to reflect the sun rays and minimizing the heat absorbed. Active dominant iguanas usually have a darker color than lower-ranked iguanas living the same environment. Most color variation seen in this species is exhibited by males, and may be attributed in part to sex steroids. Six to eight weeks prior to and during courtship, males may acquire a bright orange or gold hue, although coloration is still related to dominance status. Mature females, for the most part, retain their green coloring.
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