Green iguana
Amazing fact
A green iguana can grow a new tail after shedding part of its tail.
University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web
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An illustration based on the real animal.
A little discovery to share.
A green iguana can grow a new tail after shedding part of its tail.
THE REAL WORLD
The real Green iguana
- Scientific name
- Iguana iguana
- Japanese name
- グリーンイグアナ
- Group
- Amphibians and reptiles
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Iguanidae
- Genus
- Iguana
A lizard of Mexico, Central and South America and the West Indies. It lives high up in the trees.
Young iguanas are bright green, but their color fades as they grow. The long tail has black rings around it.
Its favorite foods are green leafy plants and ripe fruits. Basking in the sun raises its body temperature, which helps it digest its food.
How the Green iguana lives
It is active during the day. It uses its tongue to move food and bites off pieces small enough to swallow. The female digs a hole in the ground and lays eggs.
国立環境研究所 侵入生物データベースUniversity of Michigan Animal Diversity WebBasic data
- Size
- Total length: 90–130 cm
- Active
- By day (diurnal)
- Diet
- Flowers, fruit and other plant foods
- Range
- Mexico, Central and South America, and the West Indies
Where the Green iguana has been recorded
Records: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY 4.0 records, retrieved 2026-11-07). Map: Natural EarthSee the records on GBIF
Watch wild animals from a distance. Do not touch or feed them, and take care of the places where they live.
Names around the world
- 日本語
- グリーンイグアナ
- 简体中文
- 美洲鬣蜥
- 繁體中文
- 綠鬣蜥
- 한국어
- 녹색이구아나
- Español
- Iguana verde
- Français
- Iguane vert
- Deutsch
- Grüner Leguan
- Português (Brasil)
- Iguana-verde
- Italiano
- Iguana verde
- हिन्दी
- हरा इगुआना
- العربية
- إغوانة خضراء
- Bahasa Indonesia
- Iguana hijau
- Русский
- Обыкновенная игуана
- Türkçe
- İguana
- ไทย
- อิกัวนาเขียว
Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.
Sources and how we check
- 国立環境研究所 侵入生物データベース — グリーンイグアナChecked: 2026-11-03
- University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web — Iguana iguanaChecked: 2026-11-03
We check each fact against its source. The illustrations simplify how the real animal looks.
The classification (class, order, family, genus) follows Wikidata records, checked against GBIF. Classifications can change as research goes on.
The basic data are the values given in each source. They vary with how the animal is measured, whether it is male or female, and whether it lives in the wild or in captivity.
This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.
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