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SPECIES PROFILE

Green Iguana (Iguana iguana)

Iguana

IUCN STATUS

Least Concern

Green Iguana (Iguana iguana) — Mexico through Central America to Paraguay and the Caribbean; introduced in Florida; common throughout El Salvador's lowlands

CONSERVATION STATUS

Least Concern

CLASS

Reptilia

GEOGRAPHICAL RANGE

Mexico through Central America to Paraguay and the Caribbean; introduced in Florida; common throughout El Salvador's lowlands

DIET

Herbivore

HABITAT

Lowland tropical forest, gallery forest along rivers, mangroves, and lake margins; highly arboreal but descends to water for escape

🔬 Classification

PHYLUM

Chordata

CLASS

Reptilia

ORDER

Squamata

FAMILY

Iguanidae

GENUS

Iguana

📋 Description

SIZE

1.2–2.0 m (males); 600 g–8 kg; females smaller

COLORATION

Bright green as juveniles; adults turn grey-brown with orange tones; distinctive row of dorsal spines; dewlap under the chin; long banded tail

ADAPTATIONS

Powerful tail used as a whip for defence; drops from trees into water to escape predators; juveniles are arboreal; herbivorous despite carnivore body plan

🌿 Ecology

HABITAT

Lowland tropical forest, gallery forest along rivers, mangroves, and lake margins; highly arboreal but descends to water for escape

DIET

Herbivore

GEOGRAPHIC RANGE

Mexico through Central America to Paraguay and the Caribbean; introduced in Florida; common throughout El Salvador's lowlands

REPRODUCTION

Female lays 9–71 eggs in a burrow dug in sunny soil; eggs incubate for 90 days; hatchlings are 17–25 cm and fully independent

DIET DETAILS

Leaves, flowers, and fruit gathered from forest canopy; one of the few large herbivorous lizards in the Americas

⚠️ Threats & Conservation

PRIMARY THREATS

Hunting for meat (called "gallina de palo" or "tree chicken"); egg collection; habitat loss along riverbanks

💡 Interesting Facts

1

Green Iguanas are known as "gallina de palo" (chicken of the tree) throughout Central America — they are widely eaten and were a critical protein source for pre-Columbian Indigenous peoples.

2

Despite being reptiles classified in the order Squamata alongside snakes, iguanas are almost entirely herbivorous as adults — one of the very few large lizards to feed primarily on leaves and flowers.

🔭 Sighting Guide

📍 BEST PLACES TO SIGHT

Laguna Olomega near San Miguel, El Salvador, has Green Iguanas basking in trees along the lakeshore

Río Lempa valley near Suchitoto, El Salvador, has large Green Iguanas in gallery forest overhanging the river

Los Cobanos marine reserve near Acajutla, El Salvador, has Green Iguanas in coastal dry forest

🗓️ BEST TIME TO SIGHT

Year-round. Common along rivers and lakeshores throughout the lowlands; easily seen basking in trees overhanging water at Laguna Olomega and Río Paz.

🎯 SIGHTING TIPS

Year-round along rivers and lakes in the lowlands; Laguna Olomega near San Miguel and the Río Lempa banks have large iguana populations.