Description: The Galapagos land iguana (Conolophus subcristatus) is dark brown to yellow-orange in color and has large pointed scales that run along its neck and down its back. The Galapagos land iguana is a large lizard reaching lengths in excess of 48in. Its head is blunt in shape and it has a long tail, substantical claws, and a heavy body.
Galapagos land iguanas are natives to the Galapagos Islands. They are vegetarian, feeding primarily on the prickly pear cactus (Source: Bruin).
Classification:
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum Chordata
- Class: Reptla
- Order: Squamata
- Suborder: Iguania
- Family: Iguanidae
- Genus: Conolophus
- Species: Conolophus subcristatus (Source: Bruin)
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Range and Habitat: Galapagos Islands, located about 600 miles off the west coast of South America. Scrub forest, arid habitat, lives in land burrows (Source: Bruin).
Diet: Vegetarian. Feeds primarily on the prickly pear cactus (Opuntia) (Source: Bruin).
Status: Red List Category & Criteria (ver 2.3, 1994): VU D2. Vulnerable. Population very small or restricted.
Sources:
- Bruin, T. 2000. 'Conolophus subcristatus' (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed June 22, 2006.
- Burnie, D. and D.E. Wilson. Animal. Dorling Kindersley. London. 2001.
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
- World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1996. 'Amblyrhynchus cristatus' (On-line), IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Accessed June 21 2006.
