Helmeted iguana
| Helmeted iguana | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Subphylum: | Vertebrata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Iguania |
| Family: | Corytophanidae |
| Genus: | Corytophanes |
| Species: | C. cristatus |
| Binomial name | |
| Corytophanes cristatus (Merrem, 1820)[1] | |
| Synonyms | |
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The helmeted iguana (Corytophanes cristatus) is a species of lizard endemic to the New World. It is found from southern Mexico to South America in rainforests. With long limbs, it climbs well, and feeds on insects, spiders, worms, and other lizards.
Color change
The helmeted iguana, like chameleons and other iguanas, has the ability to change its coloration from dark to light or vice versa, which aids in thermoregulation when basking in sunlight.
References
- ↑ Corytophanes cristatus. The Reptile Database.
Further reading
- Merrem, B. 1820. Versuch eines Systems der Amphibien: Tentamen Systematis Amphibiorum. J.C. Krieger. Marburg. xv + 191 pp. + one plate. (Agama cristata, p. 50.)
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