Santa Fe Land Iguana
(Males have larger dorsal spines than females)
Where to Look
- Santa Fe
Identification
Unmistakable. Co-occurs only with Marine Iguana, making it the only land going iguana on Santa Fe. It is easily separated from Marine Iguana by its light coloration.
Description
An overall light, sandy brown iguana. In general, females are smaller, longer-headed and have more pronounced dorsal crests than males.
Galapagos Distribution
Endemic to Santa Fe Island.
Global Distribution
This species does not occur outside of the Galapagos
Status in the Galapagos
Extremely common, but localized endemic resident.
Conservation
Although this species faces no immediate threats – its home island is free of inroduced predators and human settlers and protected within the Galapagos National Park – it is ranked as Near Threatened due to its severely restricted range. The roughly 7500 strong population is seseptible to stchatic events such as droaght or the accidental introduction of foreighn predators which could result in a rapid population decline.
Alternative Names & Classification
This species may also be reffered to as Barrington Land-Iguana, after Santa Fe’s old name. It is sometimes also viewed as a subspecies of Galapagos Land Iguana.