All printables
Marine Iguana — printable fact sheet
Free to print or save as PDF. Great for classrooms, homeschooling, and young explorers.
Creature Atlas
Animal Fact Sheet
Name: ____________________
Date: ____________________
Marine Iguana
Amblyrhynchus cristatus
The marine iguana is the only sea-going lizard on Earth. It grazes algae off submerged rocks in the Galápagos, diving several metres and staying under for long stretches by deliberately slowing its heart to conserve heat and oxygen. Feeding in cold Humboldt water is a thermal pr…
Did you know?
- Despite being cold-blooded, marine iguanas can spend up to an hour in frigid ocean waters, emerging covered in salt and often shivering to warm up on sun-baked rocks.
- It is the only lizard on Earth that forages in the sea, grazing algae underwater. It sneezes out excess salt through nasal glands — the white crust on its head is dried salt. During El Niño famines it shrinks, reabsorbing bone to shorten its own skeleton, then regrows when food returns. No other vertebrate is known to do that.
What I learned
Draw the marine iguana
© Creature Atlas · www.creatureatlas.com · Free for classroom & personal use
Want the whole set?
Get printable fact-sheet packs, coloring pages, and classroom worksheet bundles for dozens of animals — ready to download and print.
Browse printable packsGet a free printable each week
Join the newsletter for a new Creature of the Week + printables.