iguana
/ɪˈɡwɑːnə
/noun
1A large arboreal tropical American lizard with a spiny crest along the back and greenish coloration.
- Genus Iguana, family Iguanidae: two species, in particular the common green iguana (I. iguana).
- There are many other snakes of all different sizes, as well as chameleons, geckos, lizards, skinks, iguanas, spiders and huge tortoises.
- The arboreal lizard of C. and S. America, Iguana iguana, is the archetype but other members of the New World family Iguanidae bear the name.
1.1Any iguanid lizard.Species studied have ranged from mosquitoes to butterflies, from fish to frogs, from tiny fence lizards to giant land iguanas in Galapagos, from hummingbirds to ostriches, from mice to elephants....
- The tortoises, marine iguanas and land iguanas on the Galapagos Islands, studied by Charles Darwin, provide some of the most striking examples.
- Marine iguanas have to run towards the intertidal areas between huge breaking waves, need to sprint to crevices or behind rocks to avoid being swept away, and have to grip the intertidal rocks as strongly as possible to resist wave drag.
Origin
Mid 16th century: from Spanish, from Arawak iwana.