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A black-and-white banded Motagua spiny-tailed iguana resting on a log.
Photo: Hyalinobatrachium, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Motagua Spiny-Tailed Iguana

Ctenosaura palearis

An endangered iguana found only in Guatemala's dry Motagua Valley, which blocks its hiding hole with its spiny tail.

🦎 Lizards
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About the Motagua Spiny-Tailed Iguana

Motagua spiny-tailed iguanas live only in dry forest and thorn scrub of the Motagua Valley in southeastern Guatemala. They have slender bodies with tan, brown and black bands, and males have a big flap of skin under the chin called a dewlap. They hide in hollow cactus and tree trunks and block the entrance with their spiny tails.[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name
Ctenosaura palearis[1]
Diet
Mainly plants, especially cactus fruit; sometimes insects.[1]
Habitat
Dry forest and thorn scrub up to almost 3,000 feet.[1]
Where it lives
Only the Motagua Valley of southeastern Guatemala.[1]
Group life
Active by day. Spends time both on the ground and in trees.[1]
Babies
Eggs hatch about 90 days after laying. No parental care.[1]
Conservation status
Endangered (IUCN Red List, assessed 2018).[2]

Fun facts

  • It plugs its hideout with its spiny tail.[1]
  • It helps spread the seeds of the organ-pipe cactus.[1]
  • It shares its valley with the Guatemalan beaded lizard.[1]

Vocabulary

dewlap
A flap of skin under the chin.
keystone species
A species that many other living things in its ecosystem depend on.
semi-arboreal
Spending part of the time in trees.
thorn scrub
Dry land covered with spiny bushes and cactus.
endangered
A conservation label meaning a species faces a very high risk of dying out in the wild.

See it in person

These zoos had this animal when we gathered our information, but animals sometimes move. Check the zoo's website or contact the zoo before you visit.

Sources

  1. [1] San Francisco Zoo & Gardens. “Motagua spiny-tailed iguana.” https://www.sfzoo.org/honduran-spiny-tailed-iguana/ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  2. [2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Ctenosaura palearis (Motagua Spiny-tailed Iguana).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/44192/129419077 (accessed 2026-10-02)

Facts last checked 2026-10-02.

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