- Where to see one
- 3 U.S. zoos in our directory hold iguana, confirmed against each zoo's own animal list.
Conservation status
Not Evaluated
This species has not been assessed for the IUCN Red List, so it sits outside the threat scale entirely.
About the iguana
Iguanas are large, herbivorous lizards native to tropical areas of Mexico, Central America, South America and the Caribbean. The genus contains two species, the widespread green iguana and the Lesser Antillean iguana, and adults measure roughly 1.2 to 2.0 m including the tail. They have a dewlap and a row of elongated scales along the neck and back, and their colouring helps them blend into their surroundings. Their diet is exclusively leaves, flowers and fruit, which makes them important seed dispersers. In the dry season males bob their heads and extend the dewlap to compete for females, which later bury their eggs in underground nests.
Iguana facts
- A pale scale on the back of the head covers a parietal eye that senses changes between day and night.
- A green iguana clutch has been recorded at up to 71 eggs.
- Females can store sperm from earlier mates for several years.
- The name comes from the Taino word iwana, and non-native populations now exist in Florida, Hawaii and Singapore.
Where to see iguana in the U.S.
3 zoos across 3 states
Find the closest one
Rank the 2 zoos holding iguana by how far they are from you. Your location is used in your browser to sort this list and is never sent to us.
1 more zoo holds iguana but has no coordinates on file yet, so it isn't ranked here. It's in the full list below.
California· 1
Indiana· 1
Minnesota· 1
AZAThe Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Accredited members have passed an independent inspection of animal care and welfare, safety, conservation and education, repeated every five years. Many smaller facilities never apply, so “not accredited” isn't a verdict on its own. What accreditation means · How we check this
Built from each zoo's own published animal list.
