Marine iguana: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the marine iguana lives – recorded in 1 country, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Amblyrhynchus cristatus
Group	Lizards, geckos & tuatara
Status	Vulnerable (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	1 country
Continents	South America
Class	Reptile
Order	Squamata
Family	Iguanidae

Where does the marine iguana live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the marine iguana in 1 country or territory across South America.

Ecuador

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

Is the marine iguana endangered?

The marine iguana’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Vulnerable” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the marine iguana?

The marine iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus) is a reptile in the order Squamata and the family Iguanidae, genus Amblyrhynchus. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the marine iguana

The marine iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus), also known as the sea iguana, saltwater iguana, or Galápagos marine iguana, is a species of iguana found only on the Galápagos Islands (Ecuador). Unique among modern lizards, it is a marine reptile that has the ability to forage in the sea for algae, which make up almost all of its diet. Marine iguanas are the only extant lizard that spends time in a marine environment. Large males are able to dive to find this food source, while females and smaller males feed during low tide in the intertidal zone. They mainly live in colonies on rocky shores where they bask after visiting the relatively cold water or intertidal zone, but can also be seen in marshes, mangrove swamps and beaches. Large males defend territories for a short period, but smaller males have other breeding strategies. After mating, the female digs a nest hole in the soil where she lays her eggs, leaving them to hatch on their own a few months later.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Marine iguana (revision 1380695076), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q208796 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).