Marine iguanas in the Galápagos got shorter by as much as 6.8 cm (2.7 inches), or a fifth of their length, when El Niño left them short of the seaweed they can digest, and the biggest ones shrank the most and lived the longest
Marine iguanas in the Galápagos Islands can lose as much as 6.8 cm (2.7 inches), or one-fifth of their body length, when El Niño disrupts their food supply. Researchers tracking individual adults found that the reptiles could grow longer again when conditions improved. Among large iguanas, those that shortened most also survived longer during the food shortage, revealing an unusual response to environmental stress.
