Iguana Information
How To Care for Iguanas as Pets
Iguanas basically belong to the lizard family called Iguanidae. Their most common characteristics include elongated tails, eyelids and four rambling legs. Like most reptiles all types of iguanas are cold blooded and can reach a life span of up to 20 years.
Iguanas are naturally found in Mexico and The Central and Southern part of the Americas and some are found in the Lesser Antilles Islands, Hawaii, Florida and California.
Most type of iguanas are arboreal which can be found on living on trees but some also inhabits the desserts, rocky terrains and even near sea side caves which are called the marine iguanas.
There are basically eight types of iguanas within the Iguanidae family. The Genus Cyrclura, Genus Amblyrhyncus, Genus Conolophus, Genus Ctenosauria, Genus Dipsosaurus, Genus Sauromalus, Genus Brachylophus.
The Genus Cyrclura is also commonly known as the rock iguana which can be in most parts of the Caribbean Islands, these types of iguana are under the protection of endangered species so they are scarcely sold or traded but if ever you find one on a shop they are mostly captive bred.
These types of iguanas, the Genus Amblyrhyncus are known as the marine iguanas or the Galapagos Marine Iguana.
These types of iguana is the most hard to be reserved in confinement for the reason that they feed on a diet which is basically close to impossible to produce commercially which is the Marine Algae.
Genus Conolophus, these are the closest relatives of the marine iguana. This type of iguana is also called the Galapagos Land Iguana they basically feed on plants and cactus.
Genus Ctenosauria this are mainly called the spiny tailed iguanas and are native to Mexico and Central America. They are small compared to other iguanas because they can only grow from 5 inches up to 35 inches.
The most outstanding feature of this creature is the large scales on its tail. They are grouped as omnivores which basically feed on fruits and flowers as well as small insects.
Genus Dipsosaurus consists of the dessert iguanas of the Southern America and Mexico. This kind of iguanas is full-bodied with an apex of elevated and expanded scales on its back.
They have cream to white colored bellies and are spotted with white dots and stripe colored tails. They can grow up to 15 inches long with a tail that is as twice as long as its body.
Genus Sauromalus is also known as the Chuckwalla which is a robust herbaceous iguana commonly found in United States and Mexico. These types of iguanas are strict vegetarians they confine themselves with eating only fruits, leaves and flowers.
Chuckwallas have skins that hang loosely on its fat body; they love heat and do not basically moves in the morning until the heat reaches a hundred degrees.
To shove of the extra heat they either change color to reflect the suns heat or hide in the shade. Chuckwallas is also good for captivity as a pet cause they do not move that much.
Lastly the Genus Brachylophus or known as the Fijian banded Iguana which is found in the island of Fiji and Tonga.
Iguanas nowadays are coined as endangered species and illegal possession of any types of iguanas is punishable by law so be sure that if you want an iguana as a pet, have it registered first in a legal process and consult some veterinarians for some advices and guidelines in preparing to adopt an Iguana.
| Iguanas won't be falling out of trees this winter, almanac predicts - Philadelphia Daily News Tue, 31 Aug 2010 06:59:00 GMT LEWISTON, Maine - Good news, winter haters: After record snowfall in the mid-Atlantic and unusually cold weather down South, the Farmers' Almanac is predicting a "kinder and gentler" winter. After eyeing ... | ||
| End loms for iguanas - Fiji Times Sun, 29 Aug 2010 05:14:00 GMT THE Department of Agriculture has appointed two herpetologists to develop an eradication strategy for the American iguana (pictured) on Qamea in northern Vanua Levu. They are Dr Peter Harlow of Taronga Zoo in ... | ||
| Ecuador offers variety of climes - Spartanburg Herald-Journal Sun, 29 Aug 2010 07:30:00 GMT GUAYAQUIL, Ecuador — No offense against the Galapagos Islands. Home to giant tortoises, blue-footed boobies, marine iguanas and other exotic creatures, the archipelago off Ecuador’s coast ranks for me ... | ||
| A week's work of music for Friday, September 3 - New Orleans Times-Picayune Fri, 03 Sep 2010 08:57:00 GMT Doug Garrison of the Iguanas, Nicholas Payton and the Other Planets' Anthony Cuccia. Magnetic Ear, his versatile contemporary jazz ensemble, was formed as a trio five years ago. The current six-piece version features ... | ||
| Farmers' Almanac Predicts Winter Weather - Gather.com Thu, 02 Sep 2010 23:17:00 GMT it won't be anything like the record-breaking cold experienced in the winter of 2010 when 49 states experienced snow and it got so cold in Florida that iguanas fell out of trees. "Overall, it looks like it's going to ... |