Allen’s Cay Iguana

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Scientific Name: Cyclura cychlura inornata

IUCN Red List Status: Endangered

Description: This species is a relatively large iguana growing over 3 feet long with males being considerably larger than females.  .  Dark grey-black with tan, pink, or orange colored mottling. 

Distribution: Northern Exuma Island chain in the Bahamas on Leaf Cay and Southwest Allen’s Cay.

Habitat: This species uses natural retreats in rocky areas and also digs burrows in sandy areas.  Sandy areas are limited on Allen’s Cay and are needed for nesting habitat. 

Closely related to the Exuma Islands iguana, only two native breeding populations of this subspecies are known, both in the Exumas chain in the Bahamas, on Leaf and U or Southwest Allen’s Cay.  Two other populations have been established through translocations. The entire population is estimated at 1,000 iguanas.  The natural history of this iguana is perhaps the best understood of any rock iguana due to a 20-year population monitoring and research program.  The Allen's Cay iguana is extremely well known to many tourists in the Bahamas because boat operators make regular stopovers to the island.  The iguanas are so accustomed to tourists that they wait on the beach to be fed handouts, making them easy targets for poachers.  In fact, the only real threat to this iguana is removal by human poachers. 

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For more detailed species information, please refer to the IUCN-ISG Taxonomic Account for the Allen's Cay Iguana, Cyclura cychlura inornata.