{ The Marine Iguana A Biodiversity Project by Lydia Lieberman

Marine iguanas live on rocky coasts and intertidal zones. Habitat Biotic Factors:  Animals  Seaweed Abiotic Factors:  Rocks  Water  Sunlight

Marine iguanas reproduce once a year over a three month period. They bury their eggs in sandy areas until they hatch. Reproduction

 First Level Consumers  Eat Seaweed and Algae  Eaten by introduced species’ such as cats, rats, dogs, and pigs  Current numbers are unknown  Status: Vulnerable Role in the Food web

 Human interaction - Oil Spills - Pollution  Weather - Hurricanes - El Nino Limiting Factors

Marine Iguanas have many threats, but they have adaptations to help them survive:  Blunt Noses for grazing on seaweed  Flat tails to assist with swimming  Powerful limbs and strong claws to cling to rocks Adaptations

If the Marine Iguana goes extinct, there won’t be enough food to feed all of their predators, and their predators will die. When they die, so will the animals that feed on them. This will continue to happen over and over again. Many species will go extinct. It could even lead to the extinction of humans. This is why the Marine Iguana is a butterfly species. Why a Butterfly Species?

 Native to the Galapagos Islands  Have many different names  Always need to be warm  The world’s only marine lizards  Change colors during mating season Interesting Facts A Marine Iguana during mating season.

"Galapagos Marine Iguana." n.pag. Arkive. Web. 1/31/13.. "Marine Iguana." (2013): n.pag. World Wildlife Fund. Web. 31 Jan Nelson, K., Snell, H. & Wikelski, M Amblyrhynchus cristatus. In: IUCN IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version Downloaded on 31 January Bibliography