Green Iguana Green Iguana Iguana iguana Escaped pets and releases by animal dealers have resulted in the introduction of green iguanas in parts of southern Florida. South Florida s sub-tropical climate is similar to regions in Central and South America, where iguanas are a native species, so the large lizards feel quite at home in lower reaches of the Sunshine State. In fact, they thrive there. Iguanas can be huge much bigger than any other lizard that occurs in the United States. Big male iguanas can measure more than six feet long from the head to the tip of the tail.
Iguanas have large heads and a row of large spines down the neck and back.
Iguanas are true herbivores, feeding on a variety of leaves, fruits, and flowers. They spend much of their time basking over canals or ponds, where they can escape danger by plunging headfirst into the water. They are accomplished swimmers and can remain submerged for long periods of time without surfacing for air. Much of what I know about green iguanas I learned from first-hand experience. Armed with swim masks and burlap bags, we crept down to the edge of the canal.