Symbiosis
The Marine Iguana is associated with many organisms in its coastal environment. I observed Lava Lizards, Sally Lightfoot Crabs, mockingbirds, Yellow Warblers and finches crawling and/or hopping over them looking for flies, bits of skin and parasites from the surface of their hides. The iguanas appear oblivious to all this activity . . . they either lay prostrate or in an elevated basking position as pictured here. Of the 7 marine iguana populations, 6 are categorized as Vulnerable under the IUCN red list. One subspecies on San Cristobal and Santiago is classified as Endangered due to an oil spill in 2001 that caused extensive habitat contamination.