Species group · Reptiles
Iguanas
WAnimals has 9 species of iguana, in the family Iguanidae.
- 9 species
- 1 family
- 47 countries
- 64 parks
- Weight
- 60 g – 14 kg
- Length
- 25 cm – 2 m
- Lifespan
- 6 – 60 years
Ranges calculated from the profiles that record the figure, not from all 9.
All 9 species of iguanas on WAnimals
Each one has its own full profile. This group does not replace them: it brings them together.
Least ConcernGreen Iguana
Iguana iguana
43 countries14 parks
VulnerableMarine Iguana
Amblyrhynchus cristatus
1 country1 park6 dive sites
Least ConcernCommon Spiny-tailed Iguana
Ctenosaura similis
11 countries44 parks
Least Concern
Common Desert Iguana
Dipsosaurus dorsalis
3 countries6 parks
Endangered
Hispaniolan Rhinoceros Iguana
Cyclura cornuta
2 countries3 parks
Endangered
Lau Banded Iguana
Brachylophus fasciatus
2 countries2 parks
Critically Endangered
Ricord's Rock Iguana
Cyclura ricordii
2 countries2 parks
Vulnerable
Common Land Iguana
Conolophus subcristatus
1 country1 park
Endangered
Grand Cayman Blue Iguana
Cyclura lewisi
1 country
Conservation status
3 Least Concern3 Endangered2 Vulnerable1 Critically Endangered
6 species in this group are in a threatened category according to the IUCN.
Where they live
Recorded in 47 countries. The ones with the most species in the group:
Where to see them
- Bastimentos Island2 species
- Cahuita2 species
- Cerro Hoya2 species
- Del Este2 species
- El Imposible2 species
- Galápagos National Park2 species
- Jaragua2 species
- Manuel Antonio2 species
- Portobelo2 species
- Área de Conservación Guanacaste1 species
- Arenal Volcano1 species
- Bonaire1 species
- Cape Marshalldiving
- Cousin's Rockdiving
- Darwin Islanddiving
- Gordon Rocksdiving
- Kicker Rock (León Dormido)diving
- Wolf Islanddiving
Did you know…?
Young males shield the females of their group by putting their own bodies in the way.
From Green Iguana
It can stay underwater for up to 4 hours to escape a threat.
From Green Iguana
It is an excellent swimmer despite spending most of its life in the trees.
From Green Iguana
It is the only lizard that feeds in the sea, diving to graze algae, and sneezes the excess salt out through nasal glands.
From Marine Iguana
During the food shortages brought on by El Niño it can temporarily shrink its own skeleton by as much as 20%, reabsorbing bone tissue, and grow back once the algae return.
From Marine Iguana
It is the only lizard in the world that feeds in the sea. Of some 7,850 lizard species, only this one dives to eat algae.
From Marine Iguana
It is documented among the fastest lizards in the world over short distances, topping 30 km/h.
It is the fastest land lizard in the world: documented records exceed thirty-five kilometres an hour at a run, a speed no other lizard has matched under controlled conditions.