IGUANA  , systematically Iguanidae (See also:

• SPANISH

Spanish quivalent of Carib iwana), a See also:

• FAMILY

family of pleurodont lizards, comprising about 50 genera and 300 See also:

• SPECIES

species . With three exceptions, all the genera of this extensive family belong to the New See also:

• WORLD

World, being specially characteristic of the Neotropical region, where they occur as far See also:

• SOUTH
• SOUTH, ROBERT (1634–1716)

south as See also:

• PATAGONIA

Patagonia, while extending northward into the warmer parts of the Nearctic regions as far as See also:

• CALIFORNIA
• CALIFORNIA, LOWER (Baja California)
• CALIFORNIA, UNIVERSITY OF

California and See also:

• BRITISH

British See also:

• COLUMBIA

Columbia . The exceptional genera are Brachylophus in the See also:

• FIJI
• FIJI (Viii)

Fiji Islands, Hoplurus and Chalarodon in See also:

• MADAGASCAR

Madagascar . The iguanas are characterized by the See also:

• PECULIAR

peculiar See also:

• FORM (Lat. forma)

form of their See also:

• TEETH (O.E. Eel); plural of tooth, O.E. top)

teeth, these being See also:

• ROUND (O. Fr. rond, Lat. rotundus, the Fr. is the source also of Du. rond; Ger., Swed., Dan. and Nor. rond)

round at the See also:

• ROOT (late O.E. rot, adopted from Scand., cf. Norw. and Swed. rot, Dan. rod; the true O.E. word was wyrt, plant, represented in Ger. Wurz or Wurzel; the ultimate root is the same in both words, and is seen in Lat. radix)
• ROOT, ELIHU (1845– )

root and blade-like, with serrated edges towards the tip, resembling in this respect the gigantic See also:

• EXTINCT

extinct reptile See also:

• IGUANODON

Iguanodon . The typical forms belonging to this family are distinguished by the large See also:

• DEWLAP

dewlap or pouch situated beneath the See also:

• HEAD (in 0. Eng. heafad; the word is common to Teutonic languages; cf. Dutch hoofd, Ger. Haupt, generally taken to be in origin connected with Lat. caput, Gr. KerbOvi7)
• HEAD, SIR EDMUND WALKER, BART
• HEAD, SIR FRANCIS BOND, BART

head and See also:

• NECK (O. Eng. hnecca; the word appears in many Teutonic languages; cf. Dutch ride, Ger. Nacken; in O. E. the common word was heals; cf. Ger. Hals)

neck, and by the See also:

• CREST
• CREST (Lat. crista, a plume or tuft)

crest, composed of slender elongated scales, which extends in gradually diminishing height from the nape of the neck to the extremity of the tail . The latter See also:

• ORGAN

organ is very See also:

• LONG, GEORGE (1800-1879)
• LONG, JOHN DAVIS (1838– )

long, slender and compressed . The See also:

• TONGUE (O. Eng. lunge)

tongue is generally See also:

• SHORT, FRANCIS JOB (1857– )

short and not deeply divided at its extremity, nor is its See also:

• BASE

base retracted into a sheath; it is always moist and covered with a glutinous secretion . The prevailing See also:

• COLOUR (Lat. color, connected with celare, to hide, the root meaning, therefore, being that of a covering)

colour of the iguanas is See also:

• GREEN, A
• GREEN, ALEXANDER HENRY (1832—1896)
• GREEN, DUFF (1791—1875)
• GREEN, JOHN RICHARD (1837—1883)
• GREEN, MATTHEW (1696-1737)
• GREEN, THOMAS HILL (1836-1882)
• GREEN, VALENTINE (1739–1813)
• GREEN, WILLIAM HENRY (.1825–1900)

green; and, as the See also:

• MAJORITY (Fr. majorite; Med. Lat. majoritas; Lat. major, greater)

majority of them are arboreal in their habits, such colouring is generally regarded as See also:

• PRO

pro- tective . Those on the other See also:

• HAND
• HAND (a word common to Teutonic languages; cf. Ger. Hand, Goth. handus)
• HAND, FERDINAND GOTTHELF (1786-185r)

hand which reside on the ground have much duller, although as a See also:

• RULE

rule equally protective hues . Some iguanas, however (e.g . Anolis carolinensis), possess, to an extent only exceeded by the See also:

• CHAMELEON

chameleon, the See also:

• POWER [WILLIAM GRATTAN] TYRONE (1797-1841)

power of changing their See also:

• COLOURS, MILITARY

colours, their brilliant green becoming transformed under the See also:

• INFLUENCE (Late Lat. influentia, from influere, to flow in)

influence of fear or irritation, into more sombre hues and even into See also:

• BLACK
• BLACK, ADAM (1784-1874)
• BLACK, JEREMIAH SULLIVAN (1810–1883)
• BLACK, WILLIAM (1841-1898)

black . They differ greatly in See also:

• SIZE

size, from a few inches to several feet in length .

One of the largest and most widely distributed is the See also:

• COMMON

common iguana (Iguana tuberculata), which occurs in the tropical parts of Central and South See also:

• AMERICA

America and the See also:

• WEST
• WEST, BENJAMIN (1738-1820)
• WEST, NICHOLAS (1461-1533)

West Indies, with the closely allied I. rhinolophus . It attains a length of 6 ft., weighing then perhaps 30 lb, and is of a greenish colour, occasionally mixed with See also:

• BROWN
• BROWN, CHARLES BROCKDEN (1771-181o)
• BROWN, FORD MADOX (1821-1893)
• BROWN, FRANCIS (1849- )
• BROWN, GEORGE (1818-188o)
• BROWN, HENRY KIRKE (1814-1886)
• BROWN, JACOB (1775–1828)
• BROWN, JOHN (1715–1766)
• BROWN, JOHN (1722-1787)
• BROWN, JOHN (1735–1788)
• BROWN, JOHN (1784–1858)
• BROWN, JOHN (1800-1859)
• BROWN, JOHN (1810—1882)
• BROWN, JOHN GEORGE (1831— )
• BROWN, ROBERT (1773-1858)
• BROWN, SAMUEL MORISON (1817—1856)
• BROWN, SIR GEORGE (1790-1865)
• BROWN, SIR JOHN (1816-1896)
• BROWN, SIR WILLIAM, BART
• BROWN, THOMAS (1663-1704)
• BROWN, THOMAS (1778-1820)
• BROWN, THOMAS EDWARD (1830-1897)
• BROWN, WILLIAM LAURENCE (1755–1830)

brown, while the tail is surrounded with alternate rings of those colours . Its See also:

• FOOD
• FOOD (like the verb " to feed," from a Teutonic root, whence O. Eng. foda; cf. " fodder "; connected with Gr. lrareicOae, to feed)

food consists of See also:

• VEGETABLE

vegetable substances, mostly leaves, which it obtains from the See also:

• FOREST

forest trees among whose branches it lives and in the hollows of which it deposits its eggs . These are of an oblong shape about 4 in. in length, and are said by travellers to be very pleasant eating, especially when taken raw, and mixed with See also:

• FARINA, SALVATORE (1846– )

farina . They are timid, defenceless animals, depending for safety on the See also:

• COMPARATIVE

comparative inaccessibility of their arboreal haunts, and their protective colouring, which is rendered even more effective by their remaining still on the approach of danger . But the favourite resorts of the iguana are trees which overhang the See also:

• WATER

water, into which they let themselves fall with a splash, whatever the height of the See also:

• TREE (0. Eng. treo, treow, cf. Dan. tree, Swed. Odd, tree, trd, timber; allied forms are found in Russ. drevo, Gr. opus, oak, and 36pv, spear, Welsh derw, Irish darog, oak, and Skr. dare, wood)
• TREE, SIR HERBERT BEERBOHM (1853- )

tree, and then swim away, or hide at the bottom for many minutes . Otherwise they exhibit few signs of See also:

• ANIMAL
• ANIMAL (Lat. animalis, from anima, breath, soul)

animal intelligence . " The iguana," says H . W . See also:

• BATES, HARRY (1850-1899)
• BATES, HENRY WALTER (1825-1892)
• BATES, JOHN
• BATES, JOSHUA (1788-1864)
• BATES, WILLIAM (1625-1699)

Bates (The Naturalist on the See also:

• AMAZONS

Amazons), " is one of the stupidest animals I ever met . The one I caught dropped helplessly from a tree just ahead of me; it turned round for a moment to have an idiotic stare at the intruder and then set off See also:

• RUNNING

running along the path .