Wild Life of the Month: The Green Iguana

Iguanas use head bobs to communicate

When vacationing in St. Thomas, there is no doubt that you will see a green iguana. These dinosaur like reptiles look intimidating, but can be quite friendly. Most have grown up around humans and have grown used to our company. A lot of the time, they even walk up to people at restaurants, begging for food like dogs.




You can find the green iguana in numerous places. A few popular places are South America, Mexico, areas in and around Florida and, of course, the Caribbean. Like people, the green iguana comes in many different shapes and colors. The colors typically depend on the region they come from. For example, islands like Bonaire, Aruba and Grenada have iguanas ranging from green to light purple and even black to pink. In the western region of Costa Rica they tend to have a red tint to their skin and the northern regions (like Florida and Mexico) can appear orange. Here, in St. Thomas and the rest of the USVI, they are green to greenish brown.

Adults grow to be 3.9-5.6 ft in length. Males adverse 8.8 lbs and woman 6.6 lbs

When looking at the green iguana, you may be intimidated by their dinosaur-like appearance, but they are really peaceful creatures. They have spikes lining their back, just as many different types of prehistoric dinosaurs did. These spikes are meant for protection, not for attacking. Their tail is also a defensive tool. They can be used as a whip to fend off predators and even detach themselves if something gets a hold of them. They also have long nails that make them great climbers and are sometimes used to fight off predators.

The green iguana has excellent vision in the sunlight, seeing shapes in motion at very long distances, because they have double cone cells that gives them sharp color vision and enable them to see ultraviolet wavelengths. This helps the cold blooded creature find the best spot to get their vitamin D. In low light though, they have poor eyesight. What's even more interesting, is that the green iguana, unlike most lizards today, have a photosensory organ on the top of their head, their "third eye". This feature died out in most species, but the green iguana still utilizes it. The "third eye" can't form images, but it can spot shadows and movement. This helps the iguana from predators attacking from above.

Iguanas of all ages prefer to be near the water, and are great swimmers. While swimming, they put their legs to their sides and use their powerful tail like a paddle. When being approached, they will flee and if they are near a body of water, they will choose to swim away. Also, if they are feeling threatened, they will expose the dewlap under their neck, stiffen and puff up their body, bob their head and hiss. The men will protect the females with their body if they see a predator approaching too! 

In the wild, the green iguana has about a 20 year life span. After laying their eggs, they leave and give them no protection. Once they are born, the juveniles say in the same area for about the first year of their life.

In 1995, during hurricane Luis and Marilyn, the green iguana endured a journey that many biologist almost couldn’t believe. Fifteen iguanas on the island of Guadaloupe were caught in the middle of two different hurricanes and took salvage near an uprooted tree. They traveled these uprooted trees 200 miles in the ocean until they washed ashore on the island of Anguilla. They were weak when they were found on Anguilla, an island that’s never had been inhabited by green iguanas, and it's believed they had survived on the plant life growing off of the tree they were using as a raft. Biologist stuck around trying to figure out how they came to the island. Once they spotted the uprooted trees on the beach, they came to the conclusion they road the trees 200 miles, even though it seemed improbable. Today, the green iguana still remains and has grown in population. This story is still wowing people today and makes you see what nature can really do.


The green iguana is a popular pet in the US and other countries. If you're thinking about adopting one of these creatures, do your research. Even though they have a 20 year life span, a lot of iguanas die within the first year because the owner is uneducated and doesn't know how to properly take care of the animal. They can make great pets, but they are a handful and require a lot of love and attention!

If you want a unique look at the green iguana in its natural habitat, come down to Tree Limin' Extreme. There is a huge chance that you will spot one or more of them on the tree tops. Typically, you have to look up to see them sunbathing, but when you're up on the course, you get to be the one looking down on them.