The Lesser Antillean Iguana (Iguana delicatissima) is a mid-sized Caribbean lizard featured in the Standard Edition of Planet Zoo.
Zoopedia Informaton[]
General[]
Population in the Wild: 15,000 (fragmented)
The Lesser Antillean Iguana (or Iguana delicatissima) is a large species of lizard endemic to the Lesser Antilles Islands of the Caribbean - specifically Anguilla, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Dominica. It is a critically endangered species, threatened by habitat loss, hunting by feral animals, and hybridization with the invasive green iguana. The Lesser Antillean Iguana is gray with a green belly and has a short, blunted face with white scales around the jaw; males have pink jowls and blue scales around the eyes, whereas females lack this colouration and are about two thirds of the size of their male counterparts.
Social[]
Lesser Antillean iguanas are solitary animals and only interact to mate and compete over mates.
Reproduction[]
Lesser Antillean iguana males have hierarchy where dominance is signaled by their coloration; the darker grey the scales, the more dominant the individual and the more likely it is for a female to be receptive to them. During the mating season, they will establish a territory and display to females by strutting and engaging in 'head pushing' behavior with rival males. If interested, a female will approach so he can mount and mate. The mother will then search for a sandy area to dig a tunnel where she will lay her clutch of eggs, which hatch after 3 months and are immediately independent. The young will reach sexual maturity at between 3 and 5 years-old.
Animal Care[]
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Trivia[]
Zoopedia Fun Facts[]
- Lesser Antillean iguanas can be distinguished from green iguanas by the absence of the large rounded scale on the cheek.
- The eggs of the Lesser Antillean iguana are often eaten by snakes, birds, opossums and lizards.
- The Lesser Antillean iguana does not urinate, instead excreting salt and other uric waste products through salt glands.
- Lesser Antillean iguanas can see in ultraviolet.
- Iguanas can shed their tails as a decoy or to escape from predators.
Other Trivia[]
- The Lesser Antillean iguana is the sister species of the more well-known green iguana.
- Lesser Antillean iguanas are mainly herbivores. They feed on fruit, flowers, leaves and growing shoots of more than 100 different types of plants.
Gallery[]
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