Common Land Iguana

About the Common Land Iguana

The Galápagos land iguana (Conolophus subcristatus) is a very large species of lizard in the family Iguanidae, and one of three species of the genus Conolophus. It is endemic to the Galápagos Islands off of Ecuador's Pacific coast, inhabiting the dry lowlands of Fernandina, Isabela, Santa Cruz, North Seymour, Baltra, and South Plaza islands.

The land iguanas of the Galápagos islands (genus Conolophus) vary in morphology and coloration among different populations. In addition to the relatively widespread, well-known Galápagos land iguana (C. subcristatus), there are two other species within Conolophus: the Galápagos pink land iguana (C. marthae), of northern Isabela Island; and the Santa Fe land iguana (C. pallidus), of Santa Fe Island. Based on mtDNA, the ancestors of today's land iguanas and marine iguanas (Amblyrhynchus cristatus) separated about 8–10 million years ago (MYA). Within the land iguana genus, the oldest split (based on mtDNA—about 5.7 MYA) is between C. subcristatus and C. marthae. A more-recent study, which included both mtDNA and nuclear DNA, indicated that the marine iguana split from the land iguana about 4.5 MYA; among the land iguanas... Wikipedia →