r/Awwducational • u/IdyllicSafeguard • 23d ago
Verified The Galápagos pink land iguana is found only on the slopes of a single active volcano on one of the Galápagos Islands. Named for its pink scales, this land iguana was described as a distinct species in 2009 and is considered 'critically endangered' — with fewer than 200 left.
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u/AmplifiedWarrior 23d ago
He thick.
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u/ostrieto17 22d ago
Aside from the pink scales is it genetically different than the other iguanas?
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u/IdyllicSafeguard 23d ago
The Galápagos pink land iguana is the rarest of the four species of iguana endemic to the Galápagos Islands — the others being the Galápagos land iguana, the Sante Fe land iguana, and the marine iguana.
The species' entire range covers only 25km² (15.5 mi²) across the slopes of Volcán Wolf (Wolf Volcano), located in the northern part of Isabela — the archipelago's largest island.
200 or fewer iguanas are estimated to live on one of the most volatile of the 13 active volcanoes of the Galápagos Isles — standing at 1,710 m (5,610 ft) above sea level, Wolf Volcano is also the archipelago's highest point. Its first recorded eruption was in 1797, then in 1982, 2015, and most recently in 2022.
This iguana lives in arid scrubby habitat and subsists on cactus, crawling down the volcano slopes into tropical dry forests to escape the worst of the dry season.
This 'critically endangered' species is threatened by invasive predators, such as cats and rats. While adult iguanas are quite safe — the largest males growing to a length of 1.2 metres (3.9 ft) and a weight of 75 kg (165 lbs) — their eggs and young are vulnerable to gnawing incisors and feline claws.
Each pink iguana egg is especially valuable. For whatever reason, female pink land iguanas are sparing with their clutch sizes, producing only 4 - 7 eggs, compared to a regular Galápagos land iguana which lays up to 25 eggs at a time.
Humans have known of the Galápagos pink land iguana since 1986, but it took 23 years until it was officially described as its own species in 2009.
Genetic analysis revealed that this species diverged from the other land iguanas some 5.7 million years ago — making it among the first species to evolve on the Galápagos.
You can learn more about this rare and rosy iguana — about its arrival on these isles, its perils and the efforts to save it — on my website here!