A strongly built powerful lizard, with a broad head and long sharp claws, the green iguanas are found in the whole of the tropical humid regions of Latin America, where adults feed almost entirely on plant material. It is an arboreal lizard preferring to climb in the tropical vegetation along riverbanks in search of succulent leaves soft fruits. An excellent swimmer, the green iguana often drops from the overhanging vegetation into the river below, easily traveling long distances to new feeding areas. It is characterized by its greenish to greenish-brown coloration and a large dorsal crest of soft spines along the back and tail. Similar spines on the front of the dewlap , particularly conspicuous in mature males, are also characteristic of the green iguanids.
Serious injury is uncommon as the weaker is generally quick to retreat.
Breeding season is generally late in the year resulting in 20-40 eggs being buried in the sand banks along the rivers. The young emerge in about 90 days and quickly grow on a diet of worms, snails and insects, maturing at an age of two years. The nearest relatives of the green iguana are the large vegetarian iguanas living on the Galapagos Islands, west of South America. These powerful lizards, presumably descended from a common ancestor, reached the islands by swimming or hitchhiking on floating driftwood or vegetative rafts. Two distinctive groups of iguana have been classified on the islands making up the Galapagos Islands.