The Marine Iguana

Marine iguanas (Amblyrhynchus cristatus) are the only lizards known to

forage for food in the ocean, living off the algae growing there. But their
dependency on the water makes them susceptible to changes caused by the
El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), an irregularly occurring climate cycle
that influences temperatures and precipitation around the world.

The iguanas have evolved the ability to adapt and increase their chances of
survival during warm phases of the cycle when up to 90% of their populations
could perish. 

Marine iguanas are reptiles endemic to the Galápagos Archipelago, located

just over 900 kilometres off the coast of Ecuador. The islands are home to
subspecies of these lizards, each differing in size, shape and colour. As they
mature, the reptiles can take on shades of red, green, black and grey,
depending on their subspecies. Their colours become more vivid in the
breeding season. 

Marine iguanas take to the water to feed. They mostly eat red and green
algae, both in subtidal and deeper, cooler water. Their blunt noses and sharp
teeth allow them to easily graze on the algae growing on rocks. They have
also been seen eating grasshoppers, crustaceans and, on some islands,
plants that grow on the land.

To cope with the amount of salt they consume while grazing in the ocean,
marine iguanas have a specially adapted gland that removes salt from their
bodies. They then forcefully expel the salt out of their nostrils in a sneeze-like
fashion.  

Their tails are flattened, which gives them extra propulsion when swimming.
Having seen the species during his travels aboard HMS Beagle, Charles
Darwin noted in a letter that they 'swim quickly and with much elegance' with
their legs fixed to their sides and using a 'serpentine movement, like an eel' to
propel themselves. 
Marine iguanas take to the water to feed. They mostly eat red and green
algae, both in subtidal and deeper, cooler water. Their blunt noses and sharp
teeth allow them to easily graze on the algae growing on rocks. They have
also been seen eating grasshoppers, crustaceans and, on some islands,
plants that grow on the land.

To cope with the amount of salt they consume while grazing in the ocean,
marine iguanas have a specially adapted gland that removes salt from their
bodies. They then forcefully expel the salt out of their nostrils in a sneeze-like
fashion.  

Their tails are flattened, which gives them extra propulsion when swimming.
Having seen the species during his travels aboard HMS Beagle, Charles
Darwin noted in a letter that they 'swim quickly and with much elegance' with
their legs fixed to their sides and using a 'serpentine movement, like an eel' to
propel themselves.