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Definition of spiny-tailed iguana
spiny-tailed iguana
Plural:spiny-tailed iguanas
spiny-tailed iguana Lexical Profile
CEFR
C1
Grade
8
Tier
3
Usage
Rare
• noun
1
Any of several species of large, primarily herbivorous lizards in the genus Ctenosaura, native to Mexico and Central America, characterized by distinctive rings of enlarged, heavily keeled scales on their tails.
Example
"During our hike in the Costa Rican dry forest, we spotted a large spiny-tailed iguana basking on a sunlit rock."
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
The common name describes the characteristic rings of keeled, spiky scales on the tail. 'Iguana' originates from the Spanish adaptation of the Taíno word 'iwana'.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.
180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer
Cite this Entry
Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Spiny-tailed iguana. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 14, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/spiny-tailed iguana