Several species of land iguanas reside in the Galapagos Islands. The most abundant and commonly seen land iguanas are yellowy-orange and brown in color. However, the most unique and recently discovered land iguana is the pink or rosada iguana. It is found only on Wolf Volcano at the northern end of Isabela Island. Strangely enough, the pink iguana has vertical black stripes on its body. When Wolf Volcano erupted in May 2015, park rangers went to the volcano to check on the pink iguanas. Luckily, the flowing lava did not harm them iguanas.

Land iguanas can grow to be more than three feet long, weigh up to thirty pounds, and may live to be fifty years old. Land iguanas tend to live in the drier areas of the Islands. During the day they can be hard to spot as they blend in well with the rocks and vegetation. Land iguanas are cold blooded so they spend the day warming up in the sun as needed or staying in the shade to keep cool. At night they sleep in shallow burrows to preserve their body warmth. One of their favorite foods is cactus pads. Often a big male will make a large cactus his territory and while defending it, sit around and wait for the juicy pads to fall to the ground.

More Wildlife in the Galapagos

Galapagos Sea Lions

Sally Lightfoot Crab

Galapagos Penguins