National Iguana Awareness Day is a holiday that’s observed annually on September 8th. As its name suggests, this day is dedicated to the genus of herbivorous lizards that are native to Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean, but are also commonly kept as household pets.

Even though they are commonly kept as pets, they have rather specific dietary needs that a potential owner should seriously consider before purchasing one. Although there are quite a few easy-to-care-for pets out there, iguanas do not fall into that category.

And that’s why this holiday is important. It’s a way to raise people’s awareness about the needs of this pet, what it requires to be taken care of, and how to keep it comfortable.

The History of National Iguana Awareness Day

Iguanas have been referenced by the cultures of Central and South America for thousands of years. In Peru, the Moche people worshiped animals and often depicted green iguanas in their art.

In South America, iguanas weren’t worshiped, but they were a food source for many tribes. In fact, iguanas are still prized for their meat in Central and South America, where they are known as “Chicken of the Tree.” This is because iguana meat supposedly tastes like chicken. When was National Iguana Awareness Day invented?

We’re currently unsure, but we believe that it was invented sometime around 2009 or so. We are also unsure of exactly who invented this holiday, as it sort of just appeared on the internet one day. We’ll continue to research the origin of this holiday and will update this section if we find anything else.

Some Fun Facts About Iguanas

Below are some fun facts about iguanas that we feel everyone will appreciate. We discovered the following facts about iguanas while we took the time to research National Iguana Awareness Day. Let’s take a quick look at them before continuing our article in the next section.

• Iguanas need high temperatures to survive.
• They are excellent swimmers and can swim in both freshwater and saltwater.
• The average lifespan of a wild iguana is 9 years.
• In captivity, and with proper care, iguanas can live approximately 20 years.
• In the cold, iguanas can enter a comatose-like state and have even been known to fall out of trees.

Observing National Iguana Awareness Day

National Iguana Awareness Day is mainly observed by learning more about iguanas — especially as it pertains to their care. With that being said, there are other ways to observe this holiday. People can also take the time to spread the word about this holiday using the hashtag #IguanaAwarenessDay, or even by adopting an iguana.