Green Iguana
Iguana iguana
Green Iguana · Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden · 7 February 2026
A Green Iguana basking hard in full sun at Fairchild in February, which is why it runs toward orange and rust rather than the leaf-green the name promises. Iguanas are lizards of the tropical forests of Central and South America; in Florida they are an introduced pest, and on a cold night they fall out of the trees.
The dewlap and crest spines are both display structures rather than defensive ones, flared to look larger to a rival or a mate. The pale circular scale below the eye is the eardrum, worn on the outside of the head rather than hidden like ours. Colour shifts with mood, temperature and breeding condition.
Birds, insects, plants and other wildlife, mostly from Brooklyn, with some from further afield.
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