134 REPTILES OF THE WORLD 



Island of Granada. It is a curious lizard, having very 

 long hind legs, while all of the toes are much elongated. 

 It is olive gray above, spotted or marbled with rusty 

 brown; there is also a dark collar. This reptile haunts 

 old ruins and the rough trunks of great trees. It atten- 

 tively watches the ground, descends with a run to catch 

 a passing insect, then retreats to its post of observation. 

 It is invariably seen head downward. 



The Iguanas: Several genera of large, powerful 

 lizards form a fairly distinct group. These are the 

 largest members of the Iguanidcej some of them growing 

 to a length of six feet. 



As a rule, Iguanas have quite a high, compressed 

 body surmounted by a high crest of lance-like spines — a 

 characteristic rather rudimentary with the females. The 

 tail is long, powerful and usually flattened. The teeth 

 are flat and terminate in curious three-pointed fashion — ■ 

 trilobate. 



From one writer on zoology to another has been 

 handed down the assertion that Iguanas are "strictly 

 herbivorous," a purely fallacious idea. They do feed 

 largely upon tender leaves and fruits, but are veritable 

 terrors to small birds and mammals, while they eat in- 

 sects as well. They not only rob birds' nests of the eggs, 

 but chase small mammals over the ground with a speed 

 and ferocity approaching the warm-blooded beasts of 

 prey. Species like the Rhinoceros Iguana can easily 

 overpower an animal as large as a half-grown hare. 

 The victim is quickly torn to pieces by vigorous shaking. 

 Large fragments are gulped down entire. 



Iguanas occur from the extreme southwestern por- 

 tion of the United States southward throughout tropical 

 South America and in the islands of the West Indies. 

 Two species inhabit the Galapagos Islands, while one 



