The marine iguana can dive and stay submerged for almost an hour, but on average spends 5 … They are heavily bodied with thick back legs and smaller front legs. Sneezing in iguanas is normal, but some owners start worrying when their iguana start sneezing so much. Blackening Skin, Blackening Skin Syndrome, and Vesicular Dermatitis. Since you have had your iguana for a while, you should know that they sneeze out excess salt and minerals through their nose, and I am assuming that this is not what you are describing. There are four reasons why your iguanas skin may turn black. The iguana does as he likes, similar to an independent cat. Blackening Skin, Blackening Skin Syndrome, and Vesicular Dermatitis. Your iguana is highly likely to wag its tail when it is not happy. We start small and we get bigger. (video in comments) The salt often lands on their heads, giving them a distinctive white wig. That’s the way it works for almost all life, and all vertebrates – except one. If your iguana started out green and then turned black, it is not a normal color shift - it is a sign that you need to get in there and do something to fix the iguana or its environment. There are four reasons why your iguanas skin may turn black. That should warrant a trip to your herp veterinarian’s office, especially when combined with his color change and banged up face. If your iguana started out green and then turned black, it is not a normal color shift - it is a sign that you need to get in there and do something to fix the iguana or its environment. The marine iguanas were one of my favorites, blending in with the lava rocks, not giving a care in the world about the human activity around them. But I noticed them doing something interesting -- every few minutes, an iguana would let out a big old sneeze, spraying out water up to several feet. 3. Why do iguanas wag their tails? It is believed that around 4.5 million years ago, marine iguanas evolved from land iguanas that were brought to the Galapagos and adapted to a sea-faring life in order to survive on the islands. It's not that he is "stupid" or the "brain is too small". 7. Posted in r/Awwducational by u/FillsYourNiche • 964 points and 18 comments Marine iguanas “sneeze out” excess salt their body collects while underwater through a nasal gland. The iguana is not a server or obedient creature like a horse or dog, that is why he is an iguana and a horse is a horse of course of course! You said that it is more like a cough. In this post, we will discuss why an iguana is sneezing so much, why do iguanas sneeze and how to clean salt deposits in iguana’s tank. Marine iguanas sneeze frequently to expel salt from glands near their noses. ). Currently, we are working with partners to assess the risk of marine plastic pollution to marine iguanas as part of our Plastic Pollution Free Galapagos programme. If your iguana is unhappy, it will come closer to the threat and whip the tail. 4 Conservation: The marine iguana is protected under Ecuadorian law and is listed under CITES Appendix II.