Hi Sailmates Kids!
As we get ready to sail around the Galápagos Islands on our journey across the Pacific Ocean, we’re super excited to meet one of the coolest creatures in the world—the marine iguana! 🦎🌴
This amazing animal is the only lizard on Earth that swims and feeds in the ocean. That’s right—while most lizards stay on land, marine iguanas dive underwater like tiny sea dragons!
Here are some fun facts about this scaly swimmer:
🦎 They’re Deep Divers!
Marine iguanas can hold their breath for up to 30 minutes and dive as deep as 65 feet to find food!
🌞 Basking Time
After swimming in the cold ocean, marine iguanas crawl back onto the warm lava rocks to soak up the sun. They look like little sunbathers in black scaly bathing suits!
🥬 Salty Snack Time!
Their favorite food? Algae! They munch on the green and red seaweed that grows on underwater rocks. Yum…? (Well, maybe not for us!) 😄
🤧 SALT SNEEZE!
This might be the funniest fact—they actually sneeze salt out of their noses! Because they swallow seawater while feeding, they have special glands to get rid of the extra salt. So if you hear a sneeze near the shore, it might just be a salty iguana!
👨👩👦 Family Ties
Baby iguanas hatch from eggs buried in the sand. They’re super cute (and super fast—because they have to escape hungry hawks and snakes!).
We can’t wait to see them in the wild—and don’t worry, we’ll take lots of pictures and videos to share with you! 🎥📸
Would you swim with a marine iguana if you could? Tell us in the comments!👇
And stay tuned for more amazing sea creatures from our voyage across the Pacific! 🌎⚓
Love from the crew of Sailmates,
Captain Dan, First Mate Alison, and the Sailmates Kids Team ❤️⛵
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