An iguana's front foot, with 4 fingers and a thumb, is a powerful climbing tool. The female also uses these front feet to dig a burrow in the ground in which to bury her eggs.

The hind feet are quite different. The toes, each capped with a sharp claw, are long with clearly visible "knuckles". Notice how muscular and powerful the hind legs are. This is where the crested iguana gets its speed.

There is very little fresh water in the natural habitat of the crested iguana and the areas in which they live are surrounded by the ocean. All of the coastal forest gets covered in salt from wind and spray, yet crested iguanas don't mind the salt.

Over many, many years they developed an ability to "sneeze" excess salt from their bodies through their bright yellow nostrils.

This male, from Yaduataba, is part of the captive breeding program being conducted in Sydney, Australia.

He's slightly agitated and has started to change color, darkening the green to almost black. Notice his beautiful crest standing straight while he decides just how much photography he's going to allow.

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