| The Green Iguana |
By Prof. Fabio Cupul - June 2005
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 The green iguana [Iguana iguana] is a Mexican species subject to special protection, of which we should take care. Protection would allow this reptile to survive in our territory. In some regions of Mexico there are known as "garrobos" (large lizards) (however this name is also given to the black iguana or Ctenosaura pectinata as well as to the males of the Iguana iguana).
It has a short head with a large fold on the skin of the throat and it has big, round and large scales on the back, forming a peculiar crest over its body. The adult males can reach a length of up to 2 meters from their head to the tip of their tail. The females tend to be smaller. The tail of the iguana is very long, it can be up to three times longer than the rest of the body and sideways it is a bit compressed. The head is narrow and profound; the snout is rounded dorsally and truncated sideways. The eyes are moderately big; the pupils are elliptical and vertical. The extremities are robust and strong, ending on long toes with nails that are long, too. On the back the males have scales. Green iguanas change color upon growing and they grow upon aging. The young ones have a brilliant green whereas the mature individuals are greenish grey, bronze and even brown-colored. The adult males tend to change to a green orange color with a series of vertical bars on each side of their bodies. The tail shows alternating light and dark bands. The extremities are green orange as well as the belly. Iguanas are distributed amongst the hot regions of the country, from Jalisco and Tamaulipas up to the southern states. Beyond our borders, their area of distribution extends all the way to the south of Brazil.
They usually live on trees and they like to live close by water courses. They take shelter on the tree tops when any danger presents itself or they jump into the water, plunge into it and escape by swimming (iguanas are excellent swimmers).
With regard to its behavior, the iguana is a social species; groups can be found sunbathing and foraging together in the trees. The male iguana is more aggressive than the female and they tend to be more territorial.
They are mainly vegetarians during their adult phase and vegetarians and insect eaters during their youth.
The older a specimen gets, the greater is the consumption of vegetables, up to such a point where they practically abandon other types of diet, even though in the wilderness they may eat young mice, lizards and frogs.
Reproduction
The green iguanas reproduce themselves through eggs. The average number of eggs per clutch is approximately 40. The number of eggs per nest varies from 9 to 71, being positively correlated with the size of the female. The nest consists of a horizontal cave of up to 2 meters in length and up to 50 centimeters in depth put into sandy banks especially alongside the rivers.
Importance
 Since they are eating the tender stems of the trees, they maintain a standard level in the height of the forest's canopy. They are transporters of pollen.
For the ancient Mayas the iguana had a very special meaning, since they believed that their lineage came from them, from the first iguanas of long ago times. A beautiful legend with these reptiles as the main characters is narrated in the Popol-vuh: "At the beginning of heaven and earth, there was only water in the world (the land was hidden by the ocean waters). There was neither man nor animals nor plants. There was only one couple of Gods: the Great Father and the Great Mother, two wise old people, who deserved the greatest respect since he was Mister Iguano and she was Misses Iguana. The Great Father slept, embraced by and full of love for the Great Mother, because he was like the water and she was the land.
This people also believed that the universe had three parts: heaven, earth and the underworld and that the God Itzamná who ruled the heaven as a whole was represented in the form of a reptile or an iguana.
 A temple or "house of the iguanas" was built for Itzamná, the main deity. He was the creator of everything in existence and the iguana symbolizing him was a celestial monster combining attributes of the sun, of reptiles, of the earth, of death and of vegetation. Itzamná, the iguana was the summary and the crucible of all the principles: of life and death, of light and darkness, of abundance and shortage.
Prof. Fabio German Cupul Magaña
Email: fcupul@pv.udg.mx
The publication of this article is possible thanks to the authorization of Prof. Fabio German Cupul Magaña, author of the books "Tales of natural history in Vallarta - University of Guadalajara" (Relatos de la historia natural vallartense - Universidad de Guadalajara) and "Natural environment: Selection of essays of scientific disclosure - Coastal University Center of the University of Guadalajara". (Ambiente natural: Selección de ensayos de divulgación científica - Centro Universitario de La Costa Universidad de Guadalajara.
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