The
green iguana or
common iguana (
Iguana iguana) is a large,
arboreal herbivorous species of
lizard of the
genus Iguana native to
Central and
South America. The green iguana ranges over a large geographic area, from southern
Brazil and
Paraguay to as far north as
Mexico and the
Caribbean Islands; and in the
United States as
feral populations in
South Florida (including the
Florida Keys),
Hawaii, and the
Rio Grande Valley of
Texas.
A
herbivore, it has adapted significantly with regard to locomotion and
osmoregulation as a result of its diet. It grows to 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) in length from head to tail, although a few specimens have grown more than 2 metres (6.6 ft) with bodyweights upward of 20 pounds (9.1 kg).