There are two species of land iguanas found on the Galápagos islands; The Galápagos land iguana, which is native to six islands and the Barrington land iguana, which is only found on the island of Santa Fe. They are large, yellowish iguanas, over one metre long and can weigh up to thirteen kilograms. The Galápagos iguanas are thought to have a common ancestor who probably floated over to the islands from South America on rafts of vegetation. The land iguanas live in drier areas and are much brighter and more colourful than their marine relatives. At night they sleep in burrows in the ground in order to conserve their body temperature.
