Microlophus atacamensis (Donoso-Barros, 1960)

Nomenclature and Endemicity

Microlophus atacamensis, commonly called the Atacamen Pacific iguana, is a species of lava lizard that is endemic to Chile.

Survival Adaptation Strategy

For this species, key survival characteristics including thermoregulation and migration are achieved purely through behavior.

Feeding Habit Classification

Microlophus atacamensis is omnivorous, able to feed on both plants and animals found in northern Chile.

Population Dietary Variation

Dietary preferences vary between different populations of the species: populations living in the northernmost part of northern Chile rely more heavily on algae, while populations across most of the southern part of northern Chile consume more Diptera (fruit flies).

Population Abundance and Research Accessibility

This lizard is abundant across a large coastal area in its range, making it easy to collect study samples.

Thermoregulation Behaviors

Thermoregulation in this species further demonstrates its reliance on behavioral adaptation: to regulate their temperature, M. atacamensis not only bask in the sun to retain heat, but also adjust their body shape or angle their body plane perpendicular to the sun.

Thermoregulation Efficiency Adjustment

This confirms that M. atacamensis can make behavioral adjustments to increase how quickly their bodies heat up.