‘Godzilla’ iguana spotted swimming underwater in stunning footage
The large lizard was filmed off the coast of the Galapagos Islands
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.An enormous iguana has been nicknamed ‘Godzilla’ after stunning footage of it swimming and feeding underwater was shared online.
In the above video, an enormous marine iguana can be seen diving to and from the surface as it feeds off the algae that covers rocks on the sea bed.
Steve Winkworth originally captured the footage last year at Cabo Marshall in the Pacific Ocean’s Galapagos Islands but a recent Reddit thread has given ‘tiny Godzilla’ much wider attention.
With little sense of perspective, it is unclear just how large the reptile is.
Marine iguanas are only found on the Galapagos Islands and the only know lizard to forage in the sea. It is believed to be capable of diving over 30ft below the surface.
Although still quite an alarming encounter for any diver, the reptiles are vegetarian, feeding only on algae.
Their time in the water is always limited, having to frequently come up to the surface for air and basking in the sun to warm its body after any cold water foraging.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments