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NARRATOR: These curvy
claws belong to the species

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we celebrate on
Iguana Awareness Day--

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the iguana.

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This green iguana
is quite common

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and even considered a
pest in some countries,

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but there are 43 other types,
more than half of which

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are endangered or vulnerable.

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One such vulnerable
species lives

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only on the Galapagos Islands.

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Found throughout
the archipelago,

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it's thought that marine iguanas
evolved from South American

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land-dwelling
iguanas that drifted

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out to sea millions
of years ago on rafts

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of vegetation or debris.

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They may look menacing
with their spiky spines

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and razor-sharp claws,
but instead of meat,

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these iguanas love to
chomp on algae underwater.

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Marine iguanas scrape
the algae from rocks

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with the help of their short
snouts and sharp teeth.

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Long, flattened tails are
well-adapted for swimming

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through the water,
much like crocodiles.

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And those razor-sharp claws?

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They're used for
clinging to rocks,

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both underwater in heavy
currents and back on shore.

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After submerged
for up to an hour

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in the often frigid
water of the Galapagos,

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marine iguanas must
warm themselves

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on land, their dark
coloration helping

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to absorb heat from the sun.

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Though it appears as
light skin coloration,

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the white wig marine iguanas
often wear is actually

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an incrustation of
salt. This distinct look

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comes from expelling excess
salt through a special gland

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near their nostrils.

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While Charles Darwin may have
described their appearance as

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hideous looking and
most disgusting,

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as the only ocean-swimming
lizard species in the world,

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the unusual features
of these iguanas

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are beautiful in terms
of evolutionary survival.

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From the tree-dwelling green
to the semi-aquatic marine,

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today we celebrate all
of the incredibly adapted

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iguana species that hold a vital
and unique place in our world.