Hi, Mr. Nature here, pleading with whoever’s out there to find this blog 131 more views before midnight–a tall order, but what does it hurt to ask?
Meanwhile, I found this nice video of a marine iguana peacefully feeding on seaweed underwater. I have to take issue with its billing as a “Godzilla lizard as big as a man.” Half of that length is just the tail, and a 6-foot-long marine iguana would be a real whopper. Not impossible, but quite unlikely. Nor does he look like Godzilla, King of the Monsters.
Marine iguanas live only on the Galapagos Islands and are not affiliated with the U.S. military. Social animals, they live in groups along the shore, basking on the sunny rocks. Males fight ritually, doing very little harm to one another, but sometimes have to break up fights between females, who have no time for ritual and take the issue of ownership of nesting space very seriously.
But it’s more of God’s stuff that’s been working without a hitch, just fine, for I don’t know how many centuries.
I’m lucky if my stuff works two days in a row.
The iguanas that live in and around the canal down the street from my house in South Florida get pretty big – maybe 4 feet. They’re really fast, too. If you startle them, they stand up on all fours to look bigger and scarier, and then make a mad dash for the water.
My friend’s iguana, Iggy, (I’ve mentioned him before) was abused before she got him – he was pumped full of steroids. He was much larger than he should’ve been because of it. He was about 6 feet. He didn’t fit well in the bathtub. But he was as sweet as could be – even letting the cat clean his mouth. They curled up together too 🙂
Sounds like my iguana, whom I had for 17 years, raised from a little baby. He grew to be about 4 feet long, although he was missing a little bit of his tail. He loved cuddling up with his dog and cat friends.
I’ve always been partial to lizards, although I’ve never had one as a pet. When I was stationed in the Philippines, I kept trying to catch geckos to keep in my room, hoping they’d keep the insect population down, but the air conditioning that kept me comfortable made the geckos miserable, and they high-tailed it out of there.
Geckos don’t appreciate a lot of modern conveniences. But once you’ve had your iguana for 10 years, he can get used to just about anything.
I love the little house geckos in South Florida. They only come out at night and can usually be found running up and down the walls outside (although occasionally they come in). They have the sweetest little chirping song you could ever hear 🙂
I was once present for the hatching of a gecko egg. The little fellow poked his head out, saw me, and peeped out a threat.
That marine iguana is a magnificent creature. Watching it swim is a privilege. All of these creatures reflect on their Maker. What an amazing imagination He must have.