Female Galápagos land iguanas lay two to 20 eggs per season in about 20 inches of sand. After 85 to 125 days, the brood hatches and can struggle for days to unbury themselves. Their mortality rate is high from predators during the first couple of years. As Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution suggests, it is the “survival of the fittest.” Or perhaps this hiding infant is demonstrating it is the smartest land iguanas that live up to their 50 to 60 year life potential. Estimates suggest there are 5,000 to 10,000 land iguanas in the Galápagos Islands. About 2,500 of them live on North Seymour.
