February 23, 2010
Seymour Simon recently visited the island of Aruba, which is in the Caribbean Sea. Seymour takes his camera with him everywhere he goes, because you never know when you might find an interesting creature like this iguana.
The iguana is a protected species on the island of Aruba, and once the warm sun rises in late morning, it is not hard to find an iguana. On the tree trunks, in the bushes, or sunning on the warm tiles by the pool, iguanas seem to be everywhere in Aruba!
This is the iguana that Seymour was photographing.
You can see the row of spines along his back and tail - they help to protect him from predators. You might also notice that this iguana has a pouch of skin underneath his chin. This is called a dewlap, and he can make it seem much bigger than it really is, which is very useful when he is trying to ward off predators. Males use the dewlap to intimidate rivals and also to attract females during the mating season.
Some of the other lizards Seymour saw on Aruba are called Pega Pega - a cousin of the Gecko. They they have suction pads on their feet that allow them to climb straight up the side of the buildings!
Posted by: Liz Nealon
