Iguana Facts
An iguana is a plant-eating lizard, a reptile from a genus native to the tropics of the Caribbean, Mexico and Central and South America.
- Class
- Reptile
- Scientific name
- Iguana
About the iguana
Austrian naturalist J.N. Laurenti first described the genus Iguana in 1768. It holds two species. The green iguana is widespread and often kept as a pet, while the Lesser Antillean iguana lives only in the Lesser Antilles. Genetic studies hint that the green iguana could be several species, and some have been described, but the Reptile Database still treats them as subspecies of the green iguana.
The name iguana traces to iwana, the word the Taino people used for the animal. Several related lizards in the same family also have iguana in their common names. Because so many are sold as pets, non-native iguanas now live far from home, from the Florida Peninsula and Hawaii to Ishigaki Island, Singapore, Thailand and Taiwan, and on Caribbean islands that already had native iguanas.
Did you know?
- The genus Iguana was first described in 1768.
- The Spanish pronunciation of iguana is written as iˈɣwana.
- Iguanas are herbivores, meaning they eat plants rather than animals.
Questions about the iguana
Where do iguanas come from?
Iguanas come from tropical parts of the Caribbean, Mexico and Central and South America.
What do iguanas eat?
Iguanas are herbivorous lizards, so they eat plants.
Sources
- Wikidata Q205531, checked October 8, 2026
- Wikipedia: Iguana, checked October 8, 2026
Facts are compiled from these open sources and rewritten in our own words. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.