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An ectothermic and arboreal species
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The robust body of the Lesser Antillean iguana (Iguana delicatissima) allows it to move in the trees and on the ground as well as in water, where it swims with great ease. The five-toed clawed legs of this generalist vegetarian who loves leaves, flowers, and fruits enable it to climb trees and dig nests in the ground to lay its eggs. The populations of the humid forests of northern Martinique move from branch to branch and rarely come down to the ground, except during the egg-laying period. The older the individuals, the more they take refuge in the high branches, whereas the juveniles, left to their own devices, live in groups in the bushes and shrubs. In turn, the ectothermic populations of the dry islands, like the Chancel islet here, seek the sun to warm up to 100-102°F (38-39°C) and activate their metabolism as well as their digestion, then the shade to cool down. The protected iguanas of the islet, a 17,297-acre (7,000 ha) piece of land located 1,312 ft (400 m) from the coast, often carry a letter and a number on their side, the result of a capture and marking operation. They walk between the trees and in the steep ruins of the old 18th-century sugar plantation but generally flee at the slightest human presence.
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