Stats
IUCN Status: Critically Endangered
Range: Lesser Antilles
Population: Estimated ~20,000, with 10,000 – 15,000 of those on Dominica
Size: Males up to 17″ snout to vent length, 7.7 pounds; Females up to 15″, 5.5 pounds
Threats: Habitat destruction; introduced predators; hybridization with Common Green Iguana.
- The Lesser Antillean Iguana is a large arboreal iguana that once occupied most islands from Anguilla to Martinique in the eastern West Indies.
- Lesser Antillean Iguanas inhabit scrub woodlands, dry tropical forests, and mangroves but are also known to venture into human-altered areas.
- They have several adaptations that give them a leg up in their challenging environments: their long, muscular tails maintain balance, so they can navigate trees and branches with ease; and their strong, sharp claws allow them to climb both trees and rocks, where they find burrows and prime basking spots.
- When young, they sport bright green colors to blend in with vegetation; as they get older, the green starts to change to shades of gray. They maintain a distinctive pop of pink around their jowls, which intensifies in adult males when they are looking for a mate.
- The Critically Endangered Lesser Antillean Iguana is ecologically significant: it plays a key role in helping to maintain plant diversity in the Caribbean dry forest ecosystem, especially by distributing seeds of native plants. They are also important for the nests and burrows they dig: researchers have found that nine other animal species made use of these burrows once the iguanas left, and that digging them also improved soil conditions for plant growth.
- This iguana species faces several challenges. One is habitat loss and degradation due to urbanization and tourism. With that comes the threat of being hit by cars, especially during breeding and nesting season when the iguanas are moving greater distances and crossing roads. If you’re on the island of Statia, you may see “Slow for Iguanas” signs along the roads, and they’re there for a good reason!
- Other threats include hunting, introduction of exotic predators and competitors, and hybridization with Green Iguanas.
- Only two populations are considered stable; others have been extirpated in the last decade.
- With an estimated population of 13,000 to 20,000 individuals, Dominica supported the largest single population of these iguanas until recently. However, this population was compromised in 2017, when Green Iguanas were found there after Hurricane Maria hit.
- On St. Eustatius, invasive Green Iguanas and hybrids can also be found, but it is believed that this island can still remain a stronghold for the species with proper biosecurity.
IIF Grants Received
2019b Grant $1000
Natural history data of hatchling Iguana delicatissima to guide local and regional recruitment and conservation management
Matthijs P. Van den Burg
$1000
2019a Grant $7,700
Assessing and mitigating threats to Iguana delicatissima on Dominica post-hurricane Maria
Jeanelle Brisbane
$7,700
2018 Grant $11,750
Preventing the Loss of One of the Last Populations of Iguana delicatissima, the St. Eustatius Population
Matthijs P. van den Burg and Adam Mitchell
$11,750
2014 Grant $9,830
Establishing Baseline Population and Distribution Data to Inform Population Recovery of Iguana delicatissima on Anguilla, British West Indies
Farah Mukhida
$9,830
2011 Grant $2,500
Action plan publication and implementation review, Cyclura spp. and I. delicatissima)
Lee Pagni
$2,500
The goal of this multi-species IIF grant is to enhance iguana conservation at the international, national, and local levels by publishing action plans as well as reporting on the accomplishment of these plans. Publication of the plans on the IUCN’s website will improve the ability of both international and local conservation organizations to obtain funding to carry out iguana conservation priorities.