About the Black Iguana, the Fastest Reptile in the World

About the Black Iguana, the Fastest Reptile in the World

About the Black Iguana, the Fastest Reptile in the World. The black iguana or in scientific language Ctenosaura similis is the name of a type of lizard that is related to the green iguana, a plant-eating reptile that is popular as a pet.

About the Black Iguana, the Fastest Reptile in the World

The name black iguana is given because of the black ring motifs along its body, while the rest of its body is light gray.

Apart from the name black iguana, the animal in question is also known by another name, namely the iguana with a spiny tail because its tail is covered with a ring of scales with a pointed surface.

The native habitat of black iguanas is in Mexico and Central America, but recently it can also be found on the Florida Peninsula, USA. Black iguanas' favorite locations are usually open fields filled with rocks.

About the Black Iguana, the Fastest Reptile in the World

It is not without reason that black iguanas like this habitat. These lizards need terrain to easily get sun exposure for sunbathing and raise their body temperature to be warm enough for activities.

Meanwhile, when you want to take shelter and hide, black iguanas just need to sneak into the crevices of the rocks.

Black iguanas are omnivores, aka eaters of everything. His favorite food is vegetable ingredients such as pods, flowers and leaves.

But if their favorite food is hard to find, black iguanas also want to eat small animals such as mice, insects, eggs, and even other small black iguanas.

The older the black iguana, the herbivore properties tend to be dominant. Black iguanas spend most of their time above ground level, but they can also climb trees if needed.

As a wild animal, of course, black iguanas also have predators. Animals known to prey on black iguanas include birds of prey such as eagles and owls.

As a basic self-protection technique, black iguanas will remain motionless and use the dark color of their scales for camouflage. Apart from camouflage, black iguanas can also defend themselves by biting or whipping them with their tails.

About the Black Iguana, the Fastest Reptile in the World

If a black iguana is out in the open and predators find it, the black iguana will take advantage of its most famous ability, which is running.

The black iguana is the fastest reptile in the world and can go up to a speed of 34 km / h. Usually black iguanas will move on all fours. However, when running fast, the black iguana moves on its hind legs, while its front legs do not touch the ground.

Living in groups since childhood

Black iguanas have a social lifestyle that forms a group led by the most dominant male. In addition to the most dominant male who controls an area, there are other males who have their own territorial areas that are within the territory of the dominant male.

These males are involved in competition with each other for territory and partners, but will not conflict with the dominant male leaders in the group.

Black Iguana Videos

When threatening each other, the males will puff out their bodies and open their jaws. If neither gave up, the two of them would fight by biting each other and whipping their tails.

If a male is being aggressive with another male, this is not the case if the female is passing by. After mating with a male, the female will look for a suitable place to lay her eggs.

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When finding the place in question, the female iguana will dig a hole half a meter deep, then lay her eggs in the hole. The number of eggs released by female iguanas can reach up to 30 eggs. The eggs take three months to hatch.

About the Black Iguana, the Fastest Reptile in the World

The newly hatched baby black iguanas will remain in the nest for up to one week of age. After that, they will leave the hole and stay together for some time.

For example, they would sleep in the same tree at night and clean each other by licking the bodies of their siblings.

The main food of young iguanas is insects, but gradually their appetite will shift to become plants.

Black iguanas have a sexual maturity age of three years and can live up to 60 years. A black iguana can grow up to 1.2 meters long.

Black iguanas have both positive and negative effects on humans. Positive because these iguanas are often caught by the surrounding community to eat.

Black iguana meat is considered to have a similar taste to chicken, so the animal is also nicknamed tree chicken. However, in Florida, this animal is considered a pest because this animal has a habit of eating plants in the yards of residents.

Recently, black iguanas have also started to be considered pets like green iguanas. Compared to green iguanas, black iguanas are more difficult to maintain because they do not like to be handled and do not hesitate to bite if they are annoyed. By: Ochie

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