C. subcristatus is pretty much as Darwin described it, but since he had not visited Santa Fe he never saw C. pallidus , which is much more uniform and paler in color, and possesses a more pronounced ridge of spines. C. subcristatus once once had a much broader distribution and higher population numbers than it does today. Today, there is not a single land iguana to be seen on Santiago . They have become extinct at the hands of man, or man's introduced animals. C. subcristatus can be found on Santa Cruz , Isabela , Fernandina and, most dramatically, on Plaza .
Plaza is a very tiny islet that surprisingly supports a large population of iguanas.
Visitors are often disappointed by the size before disembarking but are always surprised by the richness of the islet, especially the iguanas. There is also an introduced population on N. Seymour . In the early 1930's William Randolph Hearst visited the Galapagos and was surprised to find no land iguanas on N. Seymour while just a few hundred yards acoss a small channel, Baltra supported a large population. The disappearance of the Baltra population after World War II is generally blamed on US airforce and navy personnel who were stationed there to protect the Panama Canal. According to the standard story, the sailors were desperately bored, and would shoot at iguanas for ammusement.