Desert iguana

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/desert-iguana

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific name?Dipsosaurus dorsalis
2. What is the diet?Primarily herbivorous (leaves, flowers, fruits); juveniles may consume insects
3. What does a desert iguana eat?They mainly eat leaves, flowers, and fruits from desert plants like creosote bush, mesquite, and prickly pear cactus. Young ones also eat insects.
4. Where does a desert iguana live?They live in the Sonoran and Mojave Deserts in Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah, and northwestern Mexico, and can also be found on islands in the Gulf of California.

Thermoregulation: The process by which an animal maintains its body temperature within a certain range.
Diurnal: Active during daylight hours.
Herbivorous: Feeding exclusively on plants.
Indicator Species: A species whose presence, absence, or abundance reflects the condition of an ecosystem.