Jamaican Iguana
Jamaican Iguana by Rob Bulmahn
Scientific Name: Cyclura collei
Other Common Name: Guana
Status: Critically Endangered
Range: Jamaica
Clutch Size: 6 - 20 eggs
The Jamaican Iguana is Jamaica’s largest endemic land animal.
description
The iguana is green-gray in colour with some blue on its face and crest spines. Sexual dimorphism (A difference between male and females) is observed in Jamaican Iguanas with males having greater lengths than females. Male Jamaican iguanas can reach up to a length of 42.8cm and females up to a length of 37.8 cm.
diet
The Jamaican Iguana is an herbivore feeding on leaves, flowers and fruits of many plant species. The iguana is keystone species and an essential seed disperser, playing a role in the maintenance of tree species diversity and forest structure.
Nesting
Nests are made in burrows with loose soil and is guarded for several days. The eggs are deposited in nests mid-June and hatch around 85-87 days later. Hatching success depends on the mother’s body size and seasonal rainfall. Hatchlings generally measure around 22cm in length and weigh about 22-33g. Soil for nesting is scarce in the Hellshire Hills.
Threats
One of the greatest threats to the Jamaican Iguana is the Indian mongoose. The mongoose was introduced to the island in the early 1870s as a way for farmers to control rat populations in their fields.
The mongoose was very effective but unfortunately preyed on other species as well. The mongoose was also introduced to the Goat Islands by fishermen in the 1920s who disliked and feared the Jamaican Iguana and Yellow Snakes respectively. The mongoose is also thought to be responsible for or the catalyst in the extinction of six endemic Jamaican species: the Giant Galliwasp, Black Racer, Jamaican Petrel, Jamaican Uniform Crane, Jamaican Poorwill and the Jamaican Rice Rat which disappeared at time of the mongoose’s introduction.
The Jamaican Iguana is also threatened by habitat destruction. The Hellshire Hills is threatened by activities like illegal logging for charcoal burning. Feral cats and dogs also pose a threat to iguana populations.
Conservation Status
The Jamaican Iguana is listed as Critically Endangered on IUCN Red List.
Current Conservation Programs
A headstarting program lead by the Jamaican Iguana Research and Conservation Group have been successful in increasing the population of Jamaican Iguanas and releasing them to Hellshire Hills for over 25 years. Hatchling iguanas are taken from the Hellshire Hills are raised at the Hope Zoo until they are a suitable size making them less vulnerable to the predators such as the mongoose and are reintroduced to Hellshire Hills.
Fun Facts !
Jamaican Iguanas have great climbing ability and are capable of climbing fence posts.
The Jamaican Iguana was considered extinct in the 1940s but was rediscovered by a pig hunter, Mr. Edwin Duffus in the 1990s in Hellshire Hills