Galápagos Land Iguana: Facts and Where to See It

Land iguanas are yellow with white, black and brown blotches, a short head and strong hind legs with sharp claws. Despite the fierce look they are mainly plant eaters, living on the pads and fruit of the prickly pear cactus. Finches often sit on their backs and pick ticks from between the scales, a partnership that helps both.

• Long walks to nest. Females travel great distances to find a nesting spot, bury about 20 eggs and guard them from other females digging for space.
• Territorial males. Males bob their heads, thrash their tails and bite at rivals.
• Slow start. Hatchlings can take a week to dig out of the nest, are vulnerable for their first years and mature at 8 to 15 years.

Land iguanas live in the arid zone, where prickly pear cactus grows, on Fernandina, Isabela, Santa Cruz, South Plaza, Baltra, Santiago and North Seymour. Their numbers have fallen sharply over the last 150 years. In 1976, feral dogs wiped out the last colonies on Santa Cruz, and the 60 survivors were rescued by the Charles Darwin Research Station. On Santiago they were locally extinct until 2019.

Guide sighting records list land iguanas at 7 sites. 3 are rated Likely: the trail on South Plaza, Urbina Bay on Isabela, and the North Seymour trail on North Seymour. Dragon Hill on Santa Cruz, Santa Fé Bay and Post Office Bay are rated Possible, and Tagus Cove Rare.

Land iguanas can be seen all year round. In the next twelve months, 847 departures stop at a site where they are seen.

It is listed as Vulnerable. Introduced cats, dogs, pigs and rats compete for food and eat eggs and young; cats even take iguanas three or four years old, which natural predators cannot.

Recovery. In 2019, more than 1,000 land iguanas were returned to Santiago, and after they were found breeding, a further 1,500 followed in 2025. Also in 2025, all Galápagos iguanas were placed on CITES Appendix I, which bans international commercial trade. Park rules keep visitors at least 2 metres (6 feet) from wildlife.

1. Confusing them with marine iguanas. Land iguanas are yellow and live among cactus; marine iguanas are dark and live on the shore.
2. Walking up to one under a cactus. Keep the 2-metre distance and stay on the trail.
3. Skipping South Plaza and North Seymour. They are among the Likely sites.