Green Iguana

Green Iguana (Iguana iguana)

The Green Iguana (Iguana iguana) is a representative of iguanas ( Iguanidae ) whose habitat is located in Central America and South America.

Features

Green iguanas reach a body length of 45 centimeters usually. With the tail along the Green Iguana reaches lengths of two meters, sometimes even 2.2 meters. The largest known specimen is 2.30 meters long, weighs 10.5 kg and is on display at the Chicago Museum of Natural History. Most iguanas of this kind are, however, a maximum of 1.5 meters in length, with males being considerably larger and have significantly larger " spikes " on the back and tail. They are well in captivity 10-17 years old, but it was already reported from animals that were 25 years old. This very much depends on the proper nutrition in the early years of the iguana.

Especially male green iguanas have a massive head, which is characterized by some characteristics: a large dewlap, which is 30 % greater in males than in females, and baking in the field of enlarged scales below the eardrum of a result of muscle enlargement and the deposit adipose tissue strongly prominent in males.

Contrary to the name Iguana iguana is not completely green, many animals are more grayish - green or have a strong influence of brown color. In male green iguanas also partially red - orange colorations come increasingly in the limbs,. This may be food dependent under circumstances, because the animal eats and petals. The ridge of the Green Iguana extends from the neck up to the tail and the male is on average 5 inches higher than in the female.

Occurrence

The Green Iguana lives in Central America and northern South America. Individual deposits extend into the extreme south of the United States. In Florida, for example, in the Miami metropolitan area, the species is introduced and for many garden owners and the nature Meanwhile a plague. On each of the islands in Florida ( the so-called keys), there is probably also due to lack of natural predators copies of well over 2 meters in length. It is missing on several Caribbean islands like Cuba, but he has inhabited the Lesser Antilles. On the Caribbean islands, however, survived the Green Island Iguana ( Iguana delicatissima ), a closely related article

The preferred habitat of the green iguana are lowland forests near large bodies of water. Green iguanas are pronounced lowland inhabitants and almost never exceed the height limit of 1000 meters.

Way of life

The Green Iguana is diurnal and primarily arboreal, but he is also a good swimmer. On the run, he can often be covered by overhanging branches into the water where he then swims away from the threat. The animals are very site faithful. They prefer a high and dense vegetation with a lot of moisture and sun and shade places

The Green Iguana eats only herbivores, that is herbivorous. Although it is often still claims that he would sometimes feed on insects, recent research has shown that it feeds in the wild only of leaves.

The males defend their territories with whip-like strokes of their tail, which measures about 2 /3 of the total body length. You impress females mainly by threatening behavior, such as the swelling of her dewlap and head nodding or by lateral flattening, so they appear larger. Within the dry season in December and January is mating season. The males fix the females during mating with a neck bite. Three to four weeks after mating, the female lays its eggs 30 to 45 in a self-dug hole in the ground. The slip of pups occurs approximately eight weeks later.

Green Iguanas and Human

The Green Iguana is one of the most popular terrarium animals and is now grown in South America on farms for this purpose. Due to their final size of most of these individuals will not be granted welfare, since many buyers do not suspect that the mostly small iguana is later sold up to 2 meters long. For adult animals a terrarium of at least 200 × 150 × 200 is estimated centimeters in size.

In some countries, the Green iguana has a culinary importance. The meat is collected from hunted animals as well as in farms held animals. They are eaten as food and "green chicken " since the type of meat to chicken recalls. The most famous dish with iguana is the Sopa de Garrobo.

The Green Iguana is at risk in the destruction of the South American rainforest.

Subspecies

There are two sub-species of iguana. The nominate Iguana iguana iguana is widespread in the Lesser Antilles and South America, while Iguana iguana rhinolopha is native primarily in Central America. Both taxa can be distinguished on the muzzle safely through two to three existing at Iguana iguana rhinolopha small "horns".