Barrington land iguana
| Santa Fe land iguana | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Iguania |
| Family: | Iguanidae |
| Genus: | Conolophus |
| Species: | C. pallidus |
| Binomial name | |
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Conolophus pallidus Heller, 1903 |
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Conolophus pallidus (the Barrington land iguana or Santa Fe land iguana) is a species of lizard in the family Iguanidae. It is one of three species in the genus Conolophus. It is endemic to Santa Fe Island in the Galapagos.
First described by American zoologist Edmund Heller in 1903, it has been questioned whether C. pallidus is a valid species in its own right or merely a variant or possibly a subspecies of the Galapagos land iguana found on other islands in the Galapagos.
Its generic name, Conolophus, is derived from two Greek words: conos (κώνος) meaning "spiny" and lophos (λοφος) meaning "crest" or "plume", denoting the spiny crest along its back. Its specific name, pallidus, is Latin for "pale", denoting its lighter coloration than C. subcristatus.
The Santa Fe land iguana is similar in every detail to the Galapagos land iguana except that the Santa Fe land iguana is paler yellow with a longer more tapered snout and more pronounced dorsal spines.
The Santa Fe land iguana grows to a total length (including tail) of 0.91 m (3 ft) with a body weight of up to 11 kg (25 lb). Being cold-blooded, they absorb heat from the sun basking on volcanic rock and at night sleep in burrows to conserve their body heat. These iguanas also enjoy a symbiotic relationship with the island's finches; the birds remove parasites and ticks providing relief to the iguana and food for the birds.
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