0_Wizard
I love Iguanas!  They have always been my favorite reptile.  First described in 1768 by an Austrian NIcolaus Laurenti.
The genus was first described in 1768 by Austrian naturalist Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti in his book "Specimen Medicum, Exhibens Synopsin Reptilium Emendatam cum Experimentis circa Venena".
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Iguana
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Reptile
Reptiles are tetrapod animals in the class Reptilia, comprising today's turtles, crocodilians, snakes, amphisbaenians, lizards, tuatara, and their extinct relatives. The study of these traditional reptile orders, historically combined with that of modern amphibians, is called herpetology. Because some reptiles are more closely related to birds than they are to other reptiles (e.g., crocodiles are more closely related to birds than they are to lizards), the traditional groups of "reptiles" listed above do not together constitute a monophyletic grouping (or clade). For this reason, many modern scientists prefer to consider the birds part of Reptilia as well, thereby making Reptilia a monophyletic class.
Iguana
Iguana (, ) is a genus of herbivorous lizards that are native to tropical areas of Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. The genus was first described in 1768 by Austrian naturalist Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti in his book "Specimen Medicum, Exhibens Synopsin Reptilium Emendatam cum Experimentis circa Venena". Two species are included in the genus "Iguana": the green iguana, which is widespread throughout its range and a popular pet, and the Lesser Antillean iguana, which is native to the Lesser Antilles and endangered due to habitat destruction. The word "iguana" is derived from the original Taino name for the species, "iwana".
Lesser Antillean iguana
The Lesser Antillean iguana ("Iguana delicatissima") is a large arboreal lizard endemic to the Lesser Antilles. It is one of two species of lizard of the genus "Iguana" and is in severe decline due to habitat destruction, feral predators, hunting, and hybridization with its sister species, the green iguana. Successful captive breeding of this species has been limited to only two instances as most captive laid eggs tend to be infertile. Another common name for it is the West Indian iguana, though this is more commonly used for species of the genus "Cyclura". The generic name "iguana" is derived from "iwana", a Spanish form of the Taino name for the species.
Green iguana
The green iguana ("Iguana iguana"), also known as the American iguana, is a large, arboreal, mostly herbivorous species of lizard of the genus "Iguana". It is native to Central, South America, and the Caribbean. Usually, this animal is simply called the iguana. The green iguana ranges over a large geographic area, from southern Brazil and Paraguay as far north as Mexico and the Caribbean Islands. They have been introduced from South America to Puerto Rico and are very common throughout the island, where they are colloquially known as "Gallina de palo" and considered an invasive species; in the United States feral populations also exist in South Florida (including the Florida Keys), Hawaii, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Rio Grande Valley of Texas.
Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti
Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti (4 December 1735, Vienna – 17 February 1805, Vienna) was an Austrian naturalist and zoologist of Italian origin. Laurenti is considered the auctor of the class Reptilia (reptiles) through his authorship of "" (1768) on the poisonous function of reptiles and amphibians. This was an important book in herpetology, defining thirty genera of reptiles; Carl Linnaeus's 10th edition of "Systema Naturae" in 1758 defined only ten genera. "Specimen Medicum" contains a description of the blind salamander (amphibian): "Proteus anguinus", purportedly collected from cave waters in Slovenia (or possibly western Croatia); this description represented one of the first published accounts of a cave animal in the western world, although the "Proteus anguinus" wasn't recognized as a cave animal at the time.
Marine iguana
The marine iguana ("Amblyrhynchus cristatus"), also known as the Galápagos marine iguana, is a species of iguana found only on the Galápagos Islands (Ecuador) that has the ability, unique among modern lizards, to forage in the sea, making it a marine reptile. This iguana feeds almost exclusively on algae and large males dive to find this food source, while females and smaller males feed during low tide in the intertidal zone. They mainly live in colonies on rocky shores where they warm after visiting the relatively cold water or intertidal zone, but can also be seen in marshes, mangrove and beaches.
Cyclura nubila
The Cuban rock iguana ("Cyclura nubila"), also known as the Cuban ground iguana or Cuban iguana, is a species of lizard of the iguana family. It is the largest of the West Indian rock iguanas (genus "Cyclura"), one of the most endangered groups of lizards. This herbivorous species with red eyes, a thick tail, and spiked jowls is one of the largest lizards in the Caribbean. The Cuban iguana is distributed throughout the rocky southern coastal areas of mainland Cuba and its surrounding islets with a feral population thriving on Isla Magueyes, Puerto Rico. A subspecies is found on the Cayman Islands of Little Cayman and Cayman Brac.
1_Apprentice
What sets Iguanas apart from other reptiles like Lizard?