Utila spiny-tailed iguana

Description

The Utila iguana has a grey-brown to black coloring when young,the only species of spiny-tail iguana with such a dark color when young.Other members of the genus have a green or yellow coloring when young and turn darker with age.As this animal matures it can be a blue or light gray in color,depending on heat conditions or even the animal's temper.Males achieve a maximum total length (including tail) of 76 centimeters (30 in),while females are typically 30% smaller at 56 centimeters (22 in) total length.Males have a small dewlap and a dorsal crest made up of 56 large dorsal spines,making the animal sexually dimorphic.This dorsal crest consists of white and black spines arranged in alternating groups of two or three of the same color.