Green iguana

Green iguana[1] Temporal range: Holocene - Recent[2][3]
An adult green iguana in Costa Rica
A juvenile green iguana in Grand Cayman
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[4]
CITES Appendix II (CITES)[5]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Iguania
Family:	Iguanidae
Genus:	Iguana
Species:	I. iguana
Binomial name
Iguana iguana (Linnaeus, 1758)
Subspecies
I. i. iguana I. i. insularis I. i. melanoderma I. i. sanctaluciae
Native range in green (does not include the recent colonization of Anguilla in 1995 following hurricanes); introduced range in red
Synonyms
Lacerta iguana Linnaeus, 1758 Hypsilophus tuberculatus Wagler 1830 Iguana hernandessi Jan 1857 Iguana iguana rhinolopha Wiegman, 1834 Hypsilophus rhinolophus Fitzinger, 1843 Iguana rhinolopha Dumeril & Bibron, 1837 Iguana rhinolophus Günther, 1885

The green iguana (Iguana iguana), also known as the American iguana or the common green iguana, is a large, arboreal, mostly herbivorous species of lizard of the genus Iguana. Usually, this animal is simply called the iguana. The green iguana ranges over a large geographic area; it is native from southern Brazil and Paraguay as far north as Mexico.

A herbivore, it has adapted significantly with regard to locomotion and osmoregulation as a result of its diet. It grows to 1.7 m (5.6 ft) in length from head to tail, although a few specimens have grown more than 2 m (6.6 ft) with bodyweights upward of 20 lb (9.1 kg).

Commonly found in captivity as a pet due to its calm disposition and bright colors, it can be very demanding to care for properly. Space requirements and the need for special lighting and heat can prove challenging to the hobbyist.