![\"1524670-Marine-Iguana-1\"](\"http:\/\/wild-facts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/09\/1524670-Marine-Iguana-1-225x300.jpg\" "\\"1524670-Marine-Iguana-1\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\nI have always had a fascination for the Galapagos Islands since this was the birth place of evolution.\u00a0 Many animals that are capable to survive on those islands have adapted some unique characteristics to live in such a harsh environment.<\/p>\n
Marine Iguanas are probably one of the most unique (in my opinion).\u00a0 Not only are they capable of diving over 15 m (45′) to feed on algae but they can also change their size to adapt to their food requirements.\u00a0 That’s right, if for some reason the food supply is reduced for a couple of years (i.e. algae growth is limited) then the marine iguana can shrink.\u00a0 No, I am not just talking about the marine iguana losing weight because they joined Weight Watchers, their actual bones are able to decrease in size.\u00a0 Impressive, eh! One study found that during the El Nino weather pattern the marine iguanas’ body decreased in size by almost 20%.\u00a0 In a few years when the food returned so did their body size.\u00a0 Just to relate this to humans, a drop in body size by 20% would be similar to a 6′ person shrinking to about 4′ 2″.\u00a0 Imagine the implications to a pro basketball team during years of famine!<\/p>\n
Did you enjoy this Wild Fact? Have you ever been to the Galapagos Islands? Do you have any pictures of the Galapagos?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I have always had a fascination for the Galapagos Islands since this was the birth place of evolution.\u00a0 Many animals that are capable to survive on those islands have adapted some unique characteristics to live in such a harsh environment. Marine Iguanas are probably one of the most unique (in my opinion).\u00a0 Not only are they capable of diving over 15 m (45′) to feed on algae but they can also change their size to adapt to their food requirements.\u00a0 That’s right, if for some reason the food supply is reduced for a couple of years (i.e. algae growth is <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":137,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4024,52],"tags":[92,91,4025],"yoast_head":"\n
Marine Iguana's Size will Decrease based on Food Availability<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In years of food shortage, the marine iguana will decrease in body size by about 20%. Studies have shown that the bones actually shrink in size.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/www.wild-facts.com\/2009\/wild-fact-984-marine-iguanas\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Marine Iguana's Size will Decrease based on Food Availability\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In years of food shortage, the marine iguana will decrease in body size by about 20%. Studies have shown that the bones actually shrink in size.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"http:\/\/www.wild-facts.com\/2009\/wild-fact-984-marine-iguanas\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Animal Facts For Kids | Wild Facts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2009-09-14T07:00:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2015-01-15T23:27:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.wild-facts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/09\/1524670-Marine-Iguana-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"450\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Nathan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Nathan\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.wild-facts.com\/2009\/wild-fact-984-marine-iguanas\/\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.wild-facts.com\/2009\/wild-fact-984-marine-iguanas\/\",\"name\":\"Marine Iguana's Size will Decrease based on Food Availability\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wild-facts.com\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2009-09-14T07:00:58+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2015-01-15T23:27:31+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wild-facts.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4c5129f3f0129e9989a2b850bb2f3cc4\"},\"description\":\"In years of food shortage, the marine iguana will decrease in body size by about 20%. 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