Some iguanas like to go into or underwater on a regular basis but can they really live underwater? This question has been lingering in my mind ever since I heard about iguanas. I was intrigued, so I did some of my own research online to find the answer. Here is what I’ve found.
Iguanas can’t live underwater as they can only breathe on land. However, they can hold their breath underwater for much longer than most animals that live mainly on land.
Even though iguanas can’t live inside water, they definitely like water a lot. Most of the time you will see iguanas living near lakes, ponds, or even oceans depending on the type of iguana.
Not all iguanas will be able to hold their breath underwater for the same amount of time. Some will be able to hold it longer than others.
How Long Can Iguanas Stay Under Water?
As I’ve mentioned, there are really only 2 types of iguanas that like to go into or underwater. They are the green iguanas and marine iguanas.
Both these iguanas can stay underwater for a pretty long time but marine iguanas can do it for much longer.
Let’s take a look at how long each species of iguana can stay underwater without coming out of it.
Green Iguanas
You can often find green iguanas in or around ponds or lakes in the rainforest. Every once in a while, these iguanas love to go for a swim in water either to relax or escape from predators.
When it comes to staying underwater, the green iguanas can submerge in water for around 30 minutes without coming up for air.
Impressive isn’t it? Especially if you compare it with an average, healthy human being, which can only stay underwater for 2 minutes or so.
Marine Iguanas
It is much harder to find these iguanas because they mainly live on the Galápagos Island. These iguanas love the sea and are always near it. In fact, their livelihood depends on the ocean for food.
Whenever the marine iguanas are hungry, they will dive deep into the ocean to find algae as this is their main food source. Because of this, marine iguanas are able to dive underwater for almost an hour without coming out. It is much longer than the green iguanas, almost double.
Despite that, the marine iguanas only dive underwater for an average of 5 minutes every time even though they can do it for almost an hour.
Can Iguanas Breathe Underwater?
Iguanas cannot breathe underwater as they do not have gills like fish. The reason they can stay underwater longer than most animals can is that they are able to hold their breath for a long time without any issues.
It is also believed that iguanas used to live just on land but have adapted to swimming and holding their breath underwater. Being able to go into or underwater is important for both the green and marine iguanas to survive.
Most of the time, these iguanas can escape from their predators just by jumping into the water. It is one of their escape strategies in the wild.
Iguanas Swimming Under Water
When it comes to swimming, iguanas are actually great swimmers! Unlike humans that use their hands and legs to swim, iguanas mainly use their tails.
Iguanas can easily propel themselves forward with their powerful tails. While they moving forward using their tails, they usually tug their front legs to the side of their belly. Other than that, their back legs will also straighten out to the back. This will give them maximum efficiency moving through water without much friction.
Additionally, their legs also have webbing which can really help them paddle through the water. This can be very helpful in certain situations. Check this video out if you want to see how the marine iguanas swim underwater. It is very intriguing:
How Deep Do Iguanas Dive?
The depth of which green iguanas and marine iguanas can dive is drastically different as well. Marine iguanas are able to dive to a depth of about 65 feet while the green iguanas, about 3 feet deep. That is at least 20 times deeper than the green iguanas.
It is quite easy to understand why there is such a difference in this. You see… the marine iguanas depend on diving deep to find food (algae in the ocean). On the other hand, green iguanas mainly find their food (foilage) on land.
Furthermore, green iguanas only go into the water when they want to relax or escape from a predator. If you have observed any wild green iguanas, you will know that it’s very normal for these iguanas to jump out of trees and into the water. This happens even more when a predator is near.
Lastly, the depth of lakes and ponds, where the green iguanas have access to, are not as deep as the ocean. Even if the green iguanas want to dive deeper, it is impossible because the depth is just not there.
It might be possible for green iguanas to dive much deeper than 3 feet if they are given access to water with a greater depth.
Conclusion
In conclusion, iguanas can’t live underwater but they are able to hold their breath for an incredibly long time. The marine iguanas can hold their breath underwater for up to an hour while the green iguana can only do it for about 30 minutes.
Moreover, both iguanas are also very good swimmers. They mainly use their powerful tails to propel themselves forward through the water.
Lastly, when it comes to diving, the marine iguanas can dive way deeper than the green iguanas can, more than 20 times deeper.
