In Galapagos, you will see the Marine Iguanas, one of the few species of Lizards that will forage around the sea, classified as a marine reptile. They can dive down up to 30 feet into the water to find food and have a natural ability to swim and move around with speed.
The body of this species of Lizard ranges from black to a light shade of gray. When someone sees their different colors, they may be thought of as other Lizard species, but they are all alike. The darker colors help them to be able to get more sunlight, and that helps with their body temperature.
The body is covered with short spikes on the head and all down the back. These spikes serve to deter various predators and even other types of Lizards. It gives them a mean look though which is ironic as they are very timid and shy for the most part. They have webbing between their toes that allow them to move around with ease in the water.
The males are longer than the females with a size of about 5 ½ feet. The females are about 2 feet shorter. In the water, they are fast and graceful but movement on land is clumsy and takes lots of energy for the Galapagos Marine Iguana. You will notice that they have dorsal fins and a long tail.
These features of the body allow them to move in the water with little energy being expended. They use their sharp claws to help them when the current is heavy and when they need to get onto land.