Godzilla movies might be the closest we will ever get to the fictional creature, but in the real world, the massive iguana recently spotted off the north coast of Isabela Island in Galápagos is almost just as frightening.
The video - captured by scuba diver Steve Winkworth and posted to his YouTube channel - depicts a giant marine iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus) as it searches for food, making its way through the depths of the sea using its tail, and finally returning to the surface for air.
One of the most unique abilities of the marine iguana is its ability to forage for food in seawater, a characteristic that sets it apart from other modern lizards.
Although many would agree that the obscure creatures - which can only be found in the Galápagos Islands - are quite the spectacle, Charles Darwin was not impressed. In one of his diaries that he kept while studying on the famous islands, he expressed his discontent with them.
"The black lava rocks on the beach are frequented by large (two to three feet, 60 to 90 centimeters), disgusting clumsy lizards," he wrote. "They are as black as the porous rocks over which they crawl and seek their prey from the sea. I call them 'imps of darkness.' They assuredly will become the land they inhabit."
Despite their fearsome appearance, these creatures are actually gentle herbivores that feed exclusively on underwater algae and seaweed. This is made easier by their short snouts and tiny razor-sharp teeth that enable them to scrape algae off the rocks to consume.
Using their flattened tails, they move through water with ease much like a crocodile, and they possess claws that are long and sharp, which evolved to help them cling to rocks on shore or remain stable underwater in the midst of heavy currents.
Scientists believe that marine iguanas evolved when land-dwelling iguanas from South Africa drifted out to sea on logs and debris millions of years ago. After landing on the Galápagos Islands, they eventually evolved into marine iguanas, a species that spread onto almost every island in the archipelago.
Since being posted to Reddit Sunday, the video has been gaining attention among those on the hunt for unique underwater wildlife footage.
