Blue iguana

Blue iguana
	Blue iguana ( Cyclura lewisi )
Systematics
Order :	Scale reptiles (Squamata)
without rank:	Toxicofera
without rank:	Iguana (Iguania)
Family :	Iguanas (Iguanidae)
Genre :	Whorled tail iguanas ( Cyclura )
Type :	Blue iguana
Scientific name
	Cyclura lewisi
	( Grant , 1940)

Grand Cayman Island , the habitat of the blue iguana.

The blue iguana ( Cyclura lewisi ), also known as the Grand Cayman iguana , is a reptile belonging to the whorl tail iguanas ( Cyclura ). The critically endangered species is endemic to Grand Cayman Island , the largest of the three Cayman Islands . With a population of less than 25 wild animals, the iguana was one of the rarest animals in the world before the breeding program began.

Appearance

The species got its name because of its skin, which changes color from gray to bluish with age. The males have a dark gray to turquoise-blue skin color. In the female animals, the color of the skin varies from olive green to pale blue. The eyes have a golden iris and a red leather skin. The iguanas reach a head body length of 51 to 76 cm and a weight of up to 14 kilograms. The body length can be up to 150 cm, half of which falls on the tail. The males are around a third larger than the females. The crest of small thorns on the back of the animals extends from the neck to the tip of the tail.

Way of life

The species feeds primarily herbivorous, i.e. herbivorous. The animals consume leaves, flowers and fruits from over 45 plant species. Insects, crabs, snails and mushrooms are rarely eaten. Life expectancy in the wild is unknown. It is believed that the animals live for several decades. A captive iguana died in Texas in 2004 at the estimated age of 69.

Reproduction

The pairing usually takes 30 to 90 seconds. Around six weeks after mating , the females lay between 1 and 21 eggs in their nest in June or July. At a constant temperature of 32 ° C, the embryos need around 70 days to hatch. The boys reach sexual maturity around the age of two .

Danger

The species began to decline with the arrival of humans on the Cayman Islands. The first settlers already enjoyed the meat of the iguanas. In addition, the pigs, cats and dogs they brought with them pushed the lizards from the coastal region into the interior of the country. The reptiles did not know dogs and cats as natural enemies, so the first encounter with these animals often ended fatally for the iguanas. Furthermore, agriculture, road construction and settlement construction led to the destruction of their natural habitat. The species is listed as "critically endangered" on the IUCN Red List .

There have been international rescue efforts to conserve the iguanas since 1990. Since 2004, a total of 219 captive-bred iguanas have been released in the Salinas Nature Reserve on the Cayman Islands. But there were also setbacks: In 2008, six animals were found killed on the island.

literature

Fred Burton: Grand Cayman Iguana. In: Allison Alberts (Ed.): West Indian Iguanas. Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan. IUCN, Gland et al. 2000, ISBN 2-8317-0456-1 , p. 45 .