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The marine iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus), also known as the sea iguana, saltwater iguana, or Galápagos marine iguana, is a species of iguana found only on the Galápagos Islands . Unique among modern lizards , it is a marine reptile that has the ability to forage in the sea for algae , which makes up almost all of its diet. [ 3 ]
Marine iguana: marine iguanas live only on the Galápagos Islands and are not fully adapted to marine life. Although they feed exclusively on marine plants and spend a good deal of their time in the water, they do nest on land and need to bask in the sun to reach their ideal body temperature; they are thus also subject to terrestrial predators.
A modern semi-aquatic lizard: the marine iguana. Modern squamates which have made their own adaptions to allow them to spend significant time in the ocean include marine iguanas and sea snakes. Sea snakes are extensively adapted to the marine environment, giving birth to live offspring and are largely incapable of terrestrial activity.
The marine iguana is also extremely unusual, since it is the only iguana adapted to life in the sea. Land iguanas, lava lizards, geckos and harmless snakes are also found on the islands. The large number and range of birds is also of interest to scientists and tourists. Around 56 species live in the archipelago, of which 27 are found only in ...
Marine Iguanas are the only marine lizard species in the world found only in the Galápagos Islands. They can dive as deep as 30m (98 feet) and hold their breath for 30-40 minutes.
The concept of the three great evolutionary faunas of marine animals from the Cambrian to the present (that is, the entire Phanerozoic) was introduced by Jack Sepkoski in 1981 using factor analysis of the fossil record. [1]
The marine iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus) is an iguana found only on the Galápagos Islands that has the ability, unique among modern lizards, to live and forage in the sea, making it a marine reptile. It can dive over 10 m (33 ft) deep and mainly lives on the rocky coasts, but can also be spotted in marshes and mangrove beaches.
The Mesozoic marine revolution was driven by the evolution of shell-crushing behaviour among Mesozoic marine predators, particularly marine reptiles, with the technique being perfected in the Late Cretaceous. This forced shelled marine invertebrates to develop defences against such predation or become extinct.