This is required before plunging into the cold Galapagos waters. The endemic land iguana now lives on only six of the main islands and is much rarer than its marine counterpart. However, it was clearly much more populous when Darwin visited the islands as he complained that he couldn't pitch his tent because there were so many iguana burrows. As with giant turtles, the main problem has been the introduction of goats, pigs and dogs that will complete with the iguana for food. The capture of young hatchlings by hordes of predators also keeps numbers down.
Land iguanas are much larger than marine iguanas and have a bright reddish-orange colour.
There are seven distinct endemic species of lava lizards in the Galapagos. A number of islands have their own species that will live only on that particular island. A further variety is found all over the islands.