IGUANAS 
GALAPAGOS MARINE IGUANA 
On the shores of the volcanic Galapagos Islands, marine iguanas are 
sometimes found in groups of several hundred, sunning themselves or 
diving after seaweed. These dull black and brown creatures are not merely 
the only marine lizards but also probably the most gregarious of lizards. 
With their short, stout heads and the crests of curved spines surmounting 
their necks and backs, they look fierce and sullen. But in reality, these 
powerful, five-foot lizards are among the tamest of animals. Though they 
have strong teeth, and claws powerful enough to hold fast to a rock amid 
a pounding surf, they have never been known to attack a man, even when 
teased or molested. 
Marine iguanas are singularly fortunate in possessing no enemies on 
land, while in the sea they fear only an occasional shark. With the sea lions 
they live on the best of terms, the two species stumbling over one another’s 
bodies without hostility. 
Giant crabs sometimes crawl over the iguanas, picking ticks off their 
backs. When the crabs crawl over their faces, the iguanas exhibit no anger, 
but merely close their eyes in self-protection. The great hawks, which prey 
on smaller lizards of the region, leave the twenty-pound iguanas strictly 
alone. It is this absence of enemies, no doubt, which has made the lizards 
so tame. Charles Darwin in his Voyage of the Beagle, tells how, when he 
seized marine iguanas by the tail and threw them into the water, they would 
simply turn and swim back to where he had found them. Beebe lassoed 
the same iguana six times, hurled it about and flung it to the ground. 
Each time the lizard grew apparently tamer. These creatures like to be 
petted and are not averse to posing for photographers. Only on rare occa¬ 
sions, when pursued, will they take refuge under a rock or in their burrow, 
and then, such is the strength of their claws, it is very difficult to pull them 
to the surface. 
Marine iguanas live near the shore, never straying very far out to sea 
or inland. The young play together like kittens, rearing up on their hind 
legs, sparring with their forepaws, and threatening to bite. At night the 
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