This is a protected species as it is the sole member of the Amblyrhyncus genus - this means it cannot be held as a pet. It is at least a foot shorter than the green iguana, growing to a length of about five feet. There are several types of Galapagos marine iguanas, all peculiar to the island they live on (along the coastlines of the Galapagos Islands).

The marine iguana obtains most of its fodd underwater - they dive up to 15 meters for fresh seaweed and ocean algae.

They display red patches during the mating season but are normally their colour varies from a dark grey to red.