The Endangered Blue Iguana Back from the Brink

     The Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park is one of the preserves where they are working very hard at bringing the Blue Iguana back from the brink of extinction in 2004 when there were only a dozen or so left in the wild.   The Blue Iguana Tour in the park was not open today because of the fact that it was a critical breeding season for the reptiles.  Two major things were bringing the specie to the brink of extinction.   First, their habitat was being converted from fruit farms to grazing pasture.  Second, the young were being killed by feral cats and dogs on the island.

Young Male Blue Iguana

     The Blue Iguana is a native reptile of the Cayman Islands whose preferred habitat is rocky, sunlit, open areas in dry forests or near the shore, as the females must dig holes in the sand to lay eggs in June and July.   A possible second clutch is laid in September. The blue iguana's are herbivores and live on a diet that includes plants, fruits, and flowers. Its coloration is tan to gray with a bluish cast that is more pronounced during the breeding season and more so in males. It is large and heavy-bodied with a dorsal crest of short spines running from the base of the neck to the end of the tail.

     These are not the green iguanas that you see in the pet stores or over running the keys in Florida.  They are said to be related to the dragons that can be found in the Galapagos Islands.
Most of them are over three feet, and one we saw was closer to 5 feet not counting the tail.

Large Female Blue Iguana