# What Do Green Iguanas Eat?

> What green iguanas eat: Herbivore, foraging style, and seasonal shifts in Tropical rainforest canopy near water.

- **Species:** Green Iguana (*Iguana iguana*)
- **Conservation status:** Least Concern
- **Diet:** Herbivore
- **Habitat:** Tropical rainforest canopy near water
- **Lifespan:** 10–15 years, longer in captivity
- **Top speed:** Up to 35 km/h (22 mph) on land
- **Canonical HTML:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/green-iguana/what-do-green-iguana-eat/
- **Parent profile:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/green-iguana/
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-07-16

## Quick answer

The green iguana is a large, mostly plant-eating lizard native to the rainforests of Central and South America. It spends much of its life in trees, can grow well over 1.5 m (5 ft) including its long tail, and is a popular but demanding pet reptile. Green iguanas are herbivores that often live 10 to 15 years, and longer with good care.

## Who should skip this page

Skip this if you need a captive feeding plan from a veterinarian. This page is wild diet, not a pet-care sheet.

## Behavior and life in the trees

Green iguanas are arboreal, spending most of their time high in the rainforest canopy where they bask in the sun and feed on leaves. They are strong climbers and surprisingly good swimmers, often dropping from branches into rivers to escape predators. A row of spines along the back and a large flap of skin under the chin, called a dewlap, help them display to rivals and regulate temperature.

## Help protect the Green Iguana

Even familiar animals lose ground as wild habitat keeps shrinking worldwide.

[Donate to wildlife protection](https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/donate/)

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Source: Global Animal Guide (https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/green-iguana/what-do-green-iguana-eat/). Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0 — free for non-commercial reuse with attribution.