“And they shall be Mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up “MY JEWELS.”
(Malachi 3:17)
To my dear grandchildren
Two Tropical Iguanas
“I will speak of the glorious honour of Thy majesty, and of Thy wondrous works.”
(Psalm 145:5)
Iguanas belong to the lizard family and are found throughout the deserts, forests and waters of the world. Most iguanas look like miniature dragons but are actually shy and not a threat to people. A mature one will weigh as much as ten pounds and may be six feet long or longer, including its tail.
The tropical green iguana makes its home among the trees from Panama to Brazil. it also looks like a miniature dragon with its sharp claws and spine sticking up all along its back. This one is also shy and hides when anyone cones near. Except when hunting food it likes to stretch out on the branch of a tall tree and enjoy the sun. It looks so much like the bark of the native trees that it is difficult to spot unless it is moving.
The main food of this iguana is wild fruit and tender leaves and shoots found high in tall trees. Little ones are hatched from eggs laid by the female in a hole she has dug in the sand or ground. Soon after hatching, she takes her young up into a tall tree where they feel right at home and live up there until nearly full grown. They eat leaves and buds and drink water from cup-like leaves holding rainwater. The parents often spend time with their young in the trees, but they gather much of their food down on the ground where they can quickly escape if anything dangerous appears.
Natives in those tropical areas have discovered that iguanas are good to eat. As a result, it has been necessary to pass laws limiting the amount of hunting that can be done. However, farmers are allowed to raise them on their own properties and sell them to meat markets, where they receive a good price. Iguana meat tastes so good it is sometimes nicknamed “chicken of the trees.”
A contrasting species is the Galapagos marine iguana, somewhat larger and heavier than those found in deserts and forests. Groups of these may vary in colour, but their leather-like bodies are most often brownish-black or gray. Their skin is coarse and fierce-looking with fleshy upright spikes from the top of their heads to the end of their tails.
Large groups of this species will cling to the steep, rough rocks rising above low tides of the ocean beaches and feast on seaweed and other marine plants that grow there. They are good swimmers.
Are you one of the happy people who believes and trusts the Lord God who created all things? A Bible verse says, “Give thanks unto the Lord, and call upon His name”
(1 Chronicles 16:8). Is this something you do?
Love you all - Grandpa
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