The much-maligned marine iguanas of the Galápagos Islands are so famously homely, even Charles Darwin piled on, describing them as "hideous-looking" and "most disgusting, clumsy lizards."
They look fierce, but are actually gentle herbivores, surviving exclusively on underwater algae and seaweed. Their short, blunt snouts and small, razor-sharp teeth help them scrape the algae off rocks, and their laterally flattened tails let them move crocodile-like through the water.
Their claws are long and sharp for clinging to rocks on shore or underwater in heavy currents. They have dark gray coloring to better absorb sunlight after their forays into the frigid Galápagos waters. And they even have special glands that clean their blood of extra salt, which they ingest while feeding.
Know more:
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/marine-iguana/
Photo credit: Mattias Klum via National Geographic
#biodiversity #marineiguanas
I believe they have to absorb sunlight before they even enter the frigid water I think they also remove the excess salt from there bodies via their nostrils
ReplyDeleteThe smaller ones can't go foraging in the cold water, they chill too fast, so they only eat during low tide, dashing into the waves and back out.
ReplyDeleteIs it just me or do the "fierce" looking ones look the most awesome?
ReplyDeleteNo creature is "hideous-looking."
ReplyDeleteGodzilla!!
ReplyDeleteسلام
ReplyDeleteI don't like those things
ReplyDelete