Friday, March 28, 2008

The Magical Marine Iguana

Spike posting again.


Male marine iguanas do not fight over feeding grounds but they do disagree over mating territories. A matin territory is an area where an adult male has a good chance of meeting courting females (like a bar on singles night! -Ren's edit) Theses pactes of rock are disputed with body postures, gaping mouths, and head butting, until one male givesup and leaves.

Young and female marine iguanas forage for food on exposed rocks at low tide but adult males are more adventurous, they dive into the water and swim down into the submerged seaweed beds to browse. Large males can dive as deep as 33 feet in search for a meal.

To get from one rock to another or to reach the deeper, richer feeding grounds, the marine iguana must venture out into the sea. These lizards are very strong swimmers, powered by muscular tails, and this is essential because currents around the galapagos are very strong.

During the breeding season the male marine iguana develops large pathes of red and sometimes green skin which is in strong contrast to his gray or black color. At this time he is interested in interesting with as many males as possible.

Marine iguanas are unusual for large lizards, they gather together at night to sleep in groups like sea lions. They even manage to sleep piled on top of each other. Marine iguanas are much less territorial than land iguanas so fights don't break out over sleeping spaces. By sleeping huddled together they conserve more energy and cool down more slowly thaan if they slept alone.

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