{"database":"biostudies-literature","file_versions":[],"scores":null,"additional":{"omics_type":["Unknown"],"volume":["14"],"submitter":["Carrion-Tacuri J"],"pubmed_abstract":["The Galapagos pink iguana (<i>Conolophus marthae</i>) is endemic to Wolf Volcano on Isabela Island in the Galapagos archipelago. Due to its remote and hard-to-access habitat, the recently discovered and critically small wild population of the pink iguana has been extremely challenging to study. Herein we provide a first description of the morphology and behavior of six <i>C. marthae</i> hatchlings, and compare them with 12 hatchlings of the sympatric <i>C. subcristatus</i>. Morphometric measurements (snout-vent length = 10.9 ± 1.63 (SD) cm, tail length = 17.9 ± 3.05 cm, and weight = 47.8 ± 25.4 g) revealed a longer tail relative to its body size (ratio = 1.65 ± 0.23) compared to the sympatric Galápagos land iguana (<i>C. subcristatus</i>) hatchling of similar size (ratio = 1.42 ± 0.11). <i>C. marthae</i> hatchlings also displayed distinctive coloration with a bright green dorsal background with irregular black maculations and a pale, nearly unpigmented ventral surface. A comparative photograph of a subadult <i>C. marthae</i> revealed a directional, ontogenetic color shift: green dorsal areas became black while black maculations gave rise to pink patches, possibly a retained ancestral trait with implications for camouflage or signaling. These findings fill a knowledge gap in the early ecology of Galápagos pink iguana, providing information useful for monitoring recruitment in this Critically Endangered species."],"journal":["PeerJ"],"pagination":["e20683"],"full_dataset_link":["https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC12857553"],"repository":["biostudies-literature"],"pubmed_title":["First morphological description of the Galapagos pink iguana (&lt;i&gt;Conolophus marthae&lt;/i&gt;) hatchling: a critical step for its conservation."],"pmcid":["PMC12857553"],"pubmed_authors":["Cueva A","Yepez Ruiz J","Cadena-Murillo JP","Castro W","Gibbs JP","Jimenez Carrion R","Lewbart GA","Paez-Rosas D","Sevilla C","Chimborazo W","Gil-Jaramillo C","Carrion-Tacuri J"],"additional_accession":[]},"is_claimable":false,"name":"First morphological description of the Galapagos pink iguana (&lt;i&gt;Conolophus marthae&lt;/i&gt;) hatchling: a critical step for its conservation.","description":"The Galapagos pink iguana (<i>Conolophus marthae</i>) is endemic to Wolf Volcano on Isabela Island in the Galapagos archipelago. Due to its remote and hard-to-access habitat, the recently discovered and critically small wild population of the pink iguana has been extremely challenging to study. Herein we provide a first description of the morphology and behavior of six <i>C. marthae</i> hatchlings, and compare them with 12 hatchlings of the sympatric <i>C. subcristatus</i>. Morphometric measurements (snout-vent length = 10.9 ± 1.63 (SD) cm, tail length = 17.9 ± 3.05 cm, and weight = 47.8 ± 25.4 g) revealed a longer tail relative to its body size (ratio = 1.65 ± 0.23) compared to the sympatric Galápagos land iguana (<i>C. subcristatus</i>) hatchling of similar size (ratio = 1.42 ± 0.11). <i>C. marthae</i> hatchlings also displayed distinctive coloration with a bright green dorsal background with irregular black maculations and a pale, nearly unpigmented ventral surface. A comparative photograph of a subadult <i>C. marthae</i> revealed a directional, ontogenetic color shift: green dorsal areas became black while black maculations gave rise to pink patches, possibly a retained ancestral trait with implications for camouflage or signaling. These findings fill a knowledge gap in the early ecology of Galápagos pink iguana, providing information useful for monitoring recruitment in this Critically Endangered species.","dates":{"release":"2026-01-01T00:00:00Z","publication":"2026","modification":"2026-06-19T03:18:50.82Z","creation":"2026-06-19T03:07:24.849Z"},"accession":"S-EPMC12857553","cross_references":{"pubmed":["41623381"],"doi":["10.7717/peerj.20683"]}}