Malachite spiny iguanas
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Malachite spiny iguana in the terrarium |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Sceloporus malachiticus | ||||||||||||
| Cope , 1885 |
The malachite spiny iguana ( Sceloporus malachiticus ), also called malachite green spiny iguana , is an iguana-like member of the Phrynosomatidae family and is one of the most widespread members of the genus Sceloporus . The species predominantly inhabits pine and cloud forests in Central America and reaches a length of up to 20 cm.
distribution and habitat
Sceloporus malachiticus is native to tropical Central America and can be found in Guatemala , Honduras , across the states of Nicaragua , Costa Rica and further south to Panama . This makes them the most southerly spiny guinea species. The spiny guans inhabit the pine and cloud forests there between 600 and 3800 meters and try to colonize dry and warm biotopes in this relatively humid environment. The malachite spiny iguana is primarily a tree dweller and can be found in its homeland mainly on tree trunks in light forests, but also on rocky terrain.
The way of life of Sceloporus malachiticus is strongly dependent on the altitude at which the animals live. Thus, animals from the lower altitudes prefer habitats up to a height of approx. 12 m from the ground, whereas animals from the higher altitudes of their area of distribution tend to switch to the terrestrial way of life. The daytime temperatures are between 22 ° C and 25 ° C, but the animals occasionally warm up in the sun. At night, temperatures drop to around 18 ° C to 20 ° C in summer and around 14 ° C in winter. The humidity is around 60–70% during the day and around 85–95% at night. Malachite barbed guans are ovoviviparous and primarily eat insects.
features
The males reach a body length of 98 mm, females stay a little smaller with up to 94 mm. Malachite barbed guans have a pronounced sexual dimorphism . Males are colored malachite green on the back and top of the head and have a deep blue throat during the mating season. Females are much simpler with their brown patterned color dress. The animals can adapt their color to the outside temperature and are dark to black, especially in the morning hours when sunbathing.
literature
- Heiko Werning : Barbed Guane. Natur-und-Tier-Verlag, Münster 2002, ISBN 3-931587-13-4 .
- Gunther Köhler, Peter Heimes: Barbed Guane. Way of life, care, breeding. Herpeton, Offenbach 2002, ISBN 3-9806214-9-9 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Köhler, Günther & Heimes, Peter (2002): Stachelleguane - way of life, care, breeding , Herpeton, Offenbach, ISBN 3-9806214-9-9
- ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from September 30, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
Web links
- Sceloporus malachiticus in The Reptile Database
- Sceloporus malachiticus in the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN 2013.2. Posted by: Sunyer, J., 2012. Retrieved January 30, 2014.