Where do green iguanas live?
Wild green iguanas are found naturally in southern Mexico, Central America, and most of South America. A few are found on the Lesser Antilles islands, along with I. delicatissima. Feral populations can be found in parts of California, Florida and Hawaii. These populations consist of individuals that either escaped from captivity or were purposefully released by their owners, and which have survived and even thrived and bred in this new habitat. Although many people may think that such populations of non-native species add to the variety of the environment, they are, in fact, quite harmful to native species. They disrupt the ecosystem, compete with native species for resources, and prey on species that are not adapted to deal with such predators. Iguanas that are introduced to new areas are no different. In fact, it is illegal to own pet iguanas in the state of Hawaii, because the isolated island ecosystems are so easily disrupted by the introduction on exotic, or non-native species. De
