The Blue Iguana is an endangered lizard is part of the Iguanidae family, natural to Grand Cayman Island. It was originally believed a subspecies of the Scarlet iguana (Cyclura nubila) but was reclassified in 2004 as several breeds, due to genetic differences found 4 years earlier.
A quite interesting characteristic of this reptile is that it is among the creatures with the longest life span among lizards. The rocky grounds, the proximity to the coast, or the dry forest are the habitats that it normally frequents.
The diet of the blue iguana is herbivorous, such as fruits, flowers, and plants in its diet. Its coloration tends to be accentuated during mating, mainly in the male, although normally its tone is dark blue and can vary to a bluish-gray.
Characteristics of the Blue Iguana
The blue iguana has a whole length of 1.5 m, filming it the largest land creature on Grand Cayman Island. It also weighs about 14 kg and has a tail that measures about 51 cm.
The claws of this reptile are articulated to make the task of climbing and digging easier.
It presents a few sexual dysmorphias, being the male a 3rd bigger than the female. As with the green iguana, the tones of its skin also vary according to its sex. In the case of the males, their skin can be dark gray or turquoise blue, while in the females it is olive or blue.
Their legs are much darker than their skin, causing a quite remarkable contrast.
Another sign of sexual dysmorphism is that males possess femoral pores, which they use to release pheromones. On the other hand, females do not show this feature, and at the same time include a less visible dorsal crest.
The offspring specimens are normally dark brown or green and the most visible content is their bands of a lighter tint. Newborns include 8 dark stripes that go from their neck to their tail, which become extinct when the creature reaches the 1st year of age.
This reptile changes its blue tone when it is in the presence of other iguanas to mark its territory.
On the other hand, it has ideal vision, which permits it to detect movements and shapes, even at remote distances; they also include a few cells known as “double cones”, which offer it a quite sharp tone vision and at the same time enable it to perceive ultraviolet pale wavelengths.
This capacity is quite useful when the creature takes its usual sunbaths because it promises the absorption of enough sunlight in the form of UVA and UVB radiation to produce vitamin D. However when they are in low pale environments, their vision is not as good.
It is also important to mention that these reptiles evolved a white photosensitive organ, placed on the greatest of their head, which is known as the parietal eye (also referred to as the pineal eye, pineal gland, or 3rd eye).
This organ does not function in the same way as a normal eye, because it only has a rudimentary lens and a retina, which is why it cannot form images. This “eye” is also sensitive to changes in pale and darkness, but it is also capable of detecting movement.
Feeding the Blue Iguana
The blue iguana is mainly herbivorous, consuming large quantities of flowers, leaves, and fruits of more than 45 creatures of plants. However, its diet is not limited to the above, because it supplements its food with dead animals, fungi, slugs, crabs, insects, and larvae.
Since the blue iguana consumes a wide variety of plants, it is quite useful in its area of distribution as an incredible seed disperser. Studies include even revealed that those that enjoy through the digestive tract of this reptile tend to germinate more easily than those that do not.
This creature is also an important means of distributing seeds in new grounds, and because of its role as the largest natural herbivore in Grand Cayman’s ecosystems, it is indispensable to guard the delicate balance between vegetation and climate necessary to survive difficult conditions.
Blue Iguana Reproduction
The breeding season is from May to June. The courtship process begins before copulation, with the female receiving a large number of bites to the head from the male, who then circles nearly the female, holding her by the neck.
Afterwards, he tries to imprison his match to maneuver under his tail to position himself to initiate an invasion. The breeding process normally extends from thirty to 90 seconds, and it is quite unusual to observe a couple breeding more than once or twice a day.
Generally the laying is from 1 to 21 eggs, and it occurs between June and July, inside the nests excavated by the female, which are a kind of bag of earth exposed to the sun.
The mother performs a variety of tests to see the better nest, and this can normally measure from 41 cm or more than 1.5 m in length. The temperature inside the nest normally ranges from 32° C during the overall incubation period, which requires a time span ranging from 65 to 90 days.
A quite interesting characteristic of the blue iguana eggs is that they are among the largest of everything lizards. The mothers tend to be quite aggressive and territorial from the age of 3 months onward.
Another peculiarity is that the females, even if the males are not present, can lay eggs, although these will not be fertile.
This reptile generally reaches its sexual maturity stage at 3 or 4 years of age. It is important to mention that the offspring normally fall prey to the snake referred to as “Jubo Prieto”, natural to Grand Cayman Island.
In the case of the adult specimens, these do not include natural predators although they can be victims of natural dogs. Blue iguanas are referred to be a long-lived breed, normally living 25 to 40 years in the wild.
Endangered Blue Iguana
The blue iguana is among the most endangered creatures on the planet, even by 2011 there were only 25 specimens left, and the scientific community was quite alarmed by this situation. In the distribution area of this reptile, there is a large number of dogs and cats that attack the eggs and chicks, therefore they represent a serious threat.
On the other hand, the extension of land authorized to agriculture and livestock has come to cover the sectors in which their food is abundant. At the same time, the construction of routes for agriculture is another cause why blue iguanas die from the passage of vehicles.
In fact, by 1993 and 2002, the land occupied by these beings was reduced by 1/2, and as a consequence, the natural population fell by 80%.
From an international point of view, this reptile is classified in a situation of the danger of death (EN) in the Red List of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
However, thanks to the countless efforts of several organizations this situation has been changing, as a variety of populations of the blue iguana include been restored.
One of the projects that have been promoted to maintain the lodging of these creatures so that they can reproduce is the Blue Iguana Recovery Program (BIRP). Keeping their lodging under protection from natural predators.
The purpose of this project is to raise the iguanas in captivity until they are 2 years old. The Blue Iguana Recovery Program began when there were only ten and 25 creatures of this reptile left, to explain the several factors that affected them.
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