Amazing Nature Contest: my ultimate iguana photo collection

Hi there my Steemian friends and followers!

I am excited to submit my third entry to the Amazing Nature Contest hosted by @adalger today.

In my first two entries, I submitted close up photos of insects that actually received a very nice response from the host and from other competitors (thank you for that!) but for this round, I prepared something else :) I can even say something special because iguanas are very special animals to me and this post will be dedicated to them exclusively.

Those of you who have been following me for at least a year probably know it but I have some new Steemians checking my blog too so let me repeat how I got in love with iguanas.

I lived in Mexico´s Yucatan Peninsula for almost two years and this place is famous (among other things of course) for a remarkably abundant population of iguanas. You can find these super chilled reptiles literally everywhere in there - on the cliffs and beaches, on the ancient Mayan ruins, on walls along the streets, on concrete playgrounds, outdoor gyms and parking lots, in trees and bushes and the list goes on... The iguanas are really omnipresent in this part of Mexico and it´s just impossible to ignore them.

I am known to be a huge animal lover and I am really excited to observe wild creatures in their natural environment so being surrounded by hundreds of these cool fellas was an unforgettable experience for me. When I was a kid, I was obsessed with dinosaurs and I think it might have also been because of the iguanas´ undisputed resemblance to the giant prehistoric beasts that I totally fell in love with them during my time in Mexico.

Without further ado, let me now show you a photo collection that includes 25 shots of iguanas taken by me at various places in Mexico´s Yucatan Peninsula. Some of the photos have already been featured in my previous posts here on Steem but there are also many that haven´t been published anywhere yet.

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I hope you enjoyed those photos. Let me just add that all the iguanas captured in my photos are specimens of the Black Spiny Tailed Iguana (Ctenosaura Similis). Native to Central America, this species is known to be the fastest running lizard in the world with the highest sprint speed recorded at incredible 34.6 km/h (21.5 mph). It is also one of the largest iguana species with males reaching up to 1.3 m (4 ft 3 in) in length. In spite of their terrifying appearance, however, these guys are completely harmless to humans (unless provoked) as they are mostly herbivorous. Some of them were actually so cool and laid back that I could hand feed them. I used to give them hibiscus leaves, which must be one of their favorite meals :)

Thanks for hosting the Amazing Nature Contest, @adalger! It was my pleasure to join this round.

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This post was created by me for the Steem blockchain exclusively.

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Thank you for visiting my blog. If you like posts about #nature, #animals, #ecology, #crypto, #traveling, #photography and discovering secrets and beauties of the #world, feel free to follow me as these are the topics I mostly write about. Have a wonderful day and keep on Steeming! :)