About Microlophus atacamensis (Donoso-Barros, 1960)
Microlophus atacamensis, commonly called the Atacamen Pacific iguana, is a species of lava lizard that is endemic to Chile. For this species, key survival characteristics including thermoregulation and migration are achieved purely through behavior. Microlophus atacamensis is omnivorous, able to feed on both plants and animals found in northern Chile. 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). This lizard is abundant across a large coastal area in its range, making it easy to collect study samples. 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. This confirms that M. atacamensis can make behavioral adjustments to increase how quickly their bodies heat up.
