

Green Iguana
Iguana iguana
Silhouette: Jack Mayer Wood · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassSquamata
- FamilyIguanidae (Iguanas and Chuckwallas)
- GenusIguana (Typical Iguanas)
- SpeciesIguana iguana (Green Iguana)
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
About the Green Iguana
The green iguana (Iguana iguana), also known as the American iguana or the common green iguana, is a large, arboreal, mostly herbivorous species of lizard of the genus Iguana. Usually, this animal is simply called the iguana. The green iguana ranges over a large geographic area; it is native from southern Brazil and Paraguay as far north as Mexico. It is highly invasive in many subtropical and tropical environments throughout the world.
A herbivore, it has adapted significantly with regard to locomotion and osmoregulation as a result of its diet. It grows to 1.7 m (5.6 ft) in length from head to tail, although a few specimens have grown more than 2 m (6.6 ft) with bodyweights upward of 9 kg (20 lb).
Although this species is commonly kept as a pet because of its disposition and coloration, it can be challenging to care for properly. Its requirements for adequate space, lighting, and heat can be difficult for hobbyists to meet.
The species was first officially described by Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1758. Since then, numerous subspecies have been identified, but later classified as merely regional variants of the same species. Using nuclear and mitochondrial DNA... Wikipedia →
Sounds
Recording0:22
Costa Rica · 2025
© johnavery · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording0:17
Venezuela · 2026
© Marco Romero · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording0:10
Taiwan · 2024
© libertine soup · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recent sightings of Green Iguana in Tainan
LIVEiNaturalistGlobal Distribution
Parks Where Found
Cities Where Found
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Guayaquil | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 2 | Cali | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 3 | Barranquilla | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 4 | Manaus | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 5 | São Luís | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 6 | Valencia | 🇻🇪 Venezuela | |
| 7 | Miami | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Natal | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 9 | Belém | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 10 | João Pessoa | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
Zoos & Centres Where Found
Closest Relatives at Tainan
No species of the same family or order lives in Tainan, so these are its closest relatives here: other reptiles.
Before you go
What are the chances of seeing a Green Iguana in Tainan?
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Green Iguana sighting in Tainan on a given day, based on 38 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 4th most-seen of the 11 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
When is the best time to see a Green Iguana in Tainan?
June, September and November
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Green Iguana in Tainan on a given day, against about 10% in April, the lowest month.
What time of day is best to see a Green Iguana?
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Green Iguana sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Is Tainan the best place to see a Green Iguana?
24th of 30
Of the 30 cities where we can rate Green Iguana sightings, Tainan ranks 24th at about 30%. The best odds are in Guayaquil (Ecuador, about 80%), Cali (Colombia, about 70%) and Barranquilla (Colombia, about 70%).
Where does the Green Iguana sighting chance come from?
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Green Iguana is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Tainan (38 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.