Tyrell+Bethel+-+Galapagos+Land+Iguana

=Galapagos Land Iguana (Conolophus Subcristatus)=



**Location and Natural Habitat**
The Galapagos Land Iguana is found on the Galapagos Islands off the coast of Ecuador. Galapagos Iguanas are thought to have a common ancestor that floated on rafts of vegetation to the islands. The species was first discovered by Charles Darwin in 1835. When they were first discovered they were very numerous. They live in land burrows that offer protection from the sun. They also lay eggs in these burrows. They live in the drier, more arid regions of the island.

Niche
The Galapagos Land Iguana is one of two species of iguana on the Galapagos Islands. They are yellowish to brown in color and have short heads and thick powerful legs with long sharp claws on teh toes. It is very large in size, growing over a meter in length (3.2808 ft.). The iguana is omnivorous, mostly eating prickly pear cactus. They eat the cactus fruit by moving it around its mouth until all the spines are worked off. The female iguanas lay their eggs in burrows in sand or loose soil. About 25 eggs are laid in the burrow and hatch in 3-4 months and take about a week to dig out of their burrows. The iguanas are active during the day. They maintain their body heat by basking in the sun to heat up and sitting in the shade when they become to hot. They mostly stay in the sun during the morning and in the shade during the midday. At night they sleep in their burrows. The iguana has a mutualistic relationship with the Galapagos finches. They raise their bodies and allow the finches to remove ticks from the iguanas skin. The Iguana benifits because the ticks are removed and the finches benifit because they get a source of food.

=Why it is endangered= The species is endagered because of whalers and settlers came to the islands and likely ate the iguana. Introduced cats are the major factor now. Cats are eating the iguanas from birth until the iguanas are about 4 years of age. Hawks, herons, and snakes can also eat the iguanas but only until they are about a year of age, after that they are to big.

Restoration Efforts
A pack of wild dogs attacked and killed an entire colony of iguanas on Santa Cruz. This was also found happening on Isabella Island as well, prompting the Charles Darwin Research Station (CDRS) to initiate a rescue mission for the 60 remaining iguanas and started a captive breeding program. This is still going on today and are being released after they are large enough to avoid cat predatation. The Endagered Species At of 1973 protects endagered animals from being captured, sold, and transported. It also allows for conservation efforts to acquire land for the conservation efforts.