#  >  > Travellers Tales in Thailand and Asia >  >  > Laos Forum >  >  What is this Laotion reptile?

## peterpan

Saw this in Vientiane yesterday. had a look around the net but can't identify it.





the  kittens weren't too worried.








Ny daughter was a little bit especially when it turned around to take a closer look at her.

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## BugginOut

It's a green iguana.  _iguana iguana_

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## Agent_Smith

small dinosaur

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## dirtydog

Ahhhh, that explains the missing daughter  :Smile:  eaten by the dinosaur.

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## peterpan

> It's a green iguana.  _iguana iguana_


it sure likes it, must have got lost on its Lao visa run.




> The *green iguana* or *common iguana* (_Iguana iguana_) is a large, arboreal herbivorous species of lizard of the genus _Iguana_ native to Central and South America. The green iguana ranges over a large geographic area, from southern Brazil and Paraguay to as far north as Mexico and the Caribbean Islands; and in the United States as feral populations in South Florida (including the Florida Keys), Hawaii, and the Rio Grande Valley of Texas.

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## BugginOut

It is.

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## peterpan

I agree, not doubting you, I looked it up and wondered how it got so far from home, gave ya a green for yr knowledge of reptilian looking things.

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## blackgang

I used to shoot things that looked exactly like that out of the trees in southern Mexick and some local villagers ate the tails, not all villagers, but some, some would not eat them, as in a short while if killed and hung the meat kinda liquifies and runs out on the ground in the hot climate, about like it is here so not Saudi Hot.
I have no desire to try it.

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## sabang

You could always smoke it.  :mid:

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## robuzo

Those things are all over the place in South Florida; they are delicacy in Mexico, and if that one is lucky the Laos won't find about how good the iguana supposedly tastes.  Not dangerous, but if the kids touch it they should wash their hands after, it is possible to pick up salmonella.

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## Rural Surin

> You could always smoke it.


Sure. Where's JJ?

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## Rural Surin

> It is.


Perhaps. Introduced. These buggers aren't native to the region. Other large reptillian/lizard-types are though.

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## JuniorExPat

The local variety is somewhat smaller:





JxP

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## JuniorExPat

> You could always smoke it.



It's got to be better than horse hair, could be a close call though.


JxP

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## blackgang

> and if that one is lucky the Laos won't find about how good the iguana supposedly tastes.


They already know, in the markets I have seen em for sale in sacks of 1 to 3 or 4, in Vientaine, but not as big as the ones in Mexico tho,

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## robuzo

> Originally Posted by robuzo
> 
> and if that one is lucky the Laos won't find about how good the iguana supposedly tastes.
> 
> 
> They already know, in the markets I have seen em for sale in sacks of 1 to 3 or 4, in Vientaine, but not as big as the ones in Mexico tho,


So have they been introduced here, like they have in Florida?  Wouldn't be surprised, I think I've seen them at Chattuchak, too.  Only takes a couple to get out. . .or maybe the females can produce "virgin births" like Komodo dragons do BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | 'Virgin births' for giant lizards

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## BugginOut

Thanks, PeterPan. I've raised a few here and there. No danger to the kids. They're herbivores. They love strawberries. My father-in-law, a geologist, whilst traveling the Amazon in a canoe, had pictures of his guides holding 6-footers by the tail. They had shot them out of the trees draping over the river.  Like Rural Surin said,...they were for dinner.

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## Bexar County Stud

It looks stoned.




> They're herbivores.


Oh.

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## Happyman

I went to a farm in Jinyong - China, quite near the Lao border -where they bred these for the restaurants in Bejing and Hong Kong - escapees gone native perhaps ?

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## tjyflhol

> Thanks, PeterPan. I've raised a few here and there. No danger to the kids.


To be fair though, a large Iguana can give quite a bite so I wouldn't let a kid get too comfortable with a strange one that might not be as tame as you think.

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## blackgang

My daughter was into aquarium fish and we had some Elephant fish?? hell I don't know if I ever heard their name but they did have a trunk looking thing that was their mouth and the ate small live "blood worms" that I used to drive up to Medford Oregon weekly to buy them and in that shop there was a huge one of those bastards and the guy said that he did bite folks, that one must have been 15 cm or more thru the middle and was a long one too. big as an alligator.

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## Laolady

I think it's Iguana

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## Looper

> small dinosaur


maybe one of these fake dinosaurs from china - stripes are coming off already

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## Mr R Sole

definately an Iguana' unfortunately they're all over the place on Samui...just they are always attached to horrible Thai's with camera's charging money to have your Photo taken with it!!!! I much prefer Iguana's to Thai's anyday of the week. Thai's give a much nastier bite.

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## good2bhappy

eat it

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## chrissamui

it is a green iguana indeed, that's what a found on Google :smiley laughing:

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## tjyflhol

:fire: ..................................................  .....   :smiley laughing:

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