Marine Iguana
( Amblyrhynchus cristatus )
The marine iguana is found only on Ecuador’s Galápagos Islands with their appearance varying greatly between the different islands and several subspecies. Though Charles Darwin was not a fan of their appearance describing them as large (2–3 ft [0.6–0.9 m]), most disgusting, clumsy, imps of darkness.
MRNA studies have found the marine iguana diverged from land iguanas some 8–10 million years ago. After the divergence, the Marine Iguana developed many unique features including special glands that clean their blood of extra salt to survive exclusively on underwater algae and seaweed. These adaptations also allow the Marine Iguana to dive as deep as 30 m (98 ft) and can spend up to one hour underwater.
Although the Marine Iguana’s population remains high on certain islands, the Marine Iguana is a protected species considered threatened by IUCN from El Niño cycles and chance events like oil spills. El Niño events reduce the cold water needed for algae to grow and this can drastically reduce the marine iguana population as much as 90% on some islands. In 2001, the MV Jessica oil spill reduced the population of Marine Iguana on Santa Fe Island by two thirds.
To learn more about the Marine Iguana and conservation efforts in the Galápagos Islands visit the link below:
https://www.galapagos.org/about_galapagos/about-galapagos/biodiversity/reptiles