Stats
IUCN Status: Endangered
Range: Islas de la Bahía, Honduras
Population: ~4,500
Size: Snout to vent length up to 12.75 inches, with males generally longer and heavier than females
Threats: Illegal hunting; predation from domestic cats and dogs; habitat fragmentation; hybridization with Ctenosaura similis and Ctenosaura bakeri.
species information
- Roatan Spiny-tailed Iguanas (Ctenosaura oedirhina) are found only on the island of Roatan, the largest of the Honduran Bay Islands. This iguana was only recognized as a separate species from Ctenosaura bakeri in 1987, and was given the species name “oedirhina” because of its rounded snout.
- The Roatan Spiny-tailed Iguana is omnivorous and can use all habitats occurring on the island (including urban areas).
- This species is threatened mainly by illegal hunting for consumption by humans and predation by domestic cats and dogs, but habitat loss and fragmentation also contribute to their endangered status. Hunting pressure is so intense that they are only found in higher densities in small, privately protected areas across the island. The vast majority of the estimated 4,500 iguana live in less than 1% of the island’s area.
- These important locations are protected by a grass-roots movement of local land owners and managers. Additionally, less than 1% of the iguanas live outside of these protected areas and densities are extremely low, only 1 to 5 iguanas per 0.4 square miles, if they occur at all.
- In late 2019, a conservation action plan was developed with local stakeholders and international organizations to develop strategies to conserve the species on the island.
IIF Grants Received
2019 Grant $3,160
Monitoring an Endangered Iguana and Increasing Local Capacity to Train the Next Generation of Researchers and Managers
Ashley Goode, Stesha Pasachnik, Daisy Maryon, and Susannah French
$3,160
2018 Grant $4,750
Monitoring an Endangered Iguana (Ctenosaura oedirhina) and Increasing Local Capacity to Train the Next Generation of Researchers and Managers
Stesha Pasachnik, Daisy Maryon, Ashley Goode, and Susannah French
$4,750
2017 Grant $2,920
Monitoring an Endangered Iguana (Ctenosaura oedirhina) and Increasing Workshop Capacity to Train the Next Generation of Researchers and Managers
Stesha Pasachnik
$2,920
2016 Grant $7,454
Monitoring an Endangered Iguana and Cultivating the Next Generation of Researchers and Managers
Ashley Goode and Stesha Pasachnik
$7,454
2015 Grant $8,419
Monitoring an Endangered Iguana and Cultivating the Next Generation of Researchers and Managers
Ashley Campbell and Stesha Pasachnik
$8,419
2013 Grant $5,000
Nesting in the Roatán Spiny-tailed Iguana (Ctenosaura oedirhina)
Ashley Campbell and Stesha Pasachnik
$5,000
2012 Grant $5,230
Ecological and Genetic Evaluation of Roatán’s Spiny-tailed Iguanas, Ctenosaura oedirhina
Ashley Campbell and Stesha Pasachnik
$5,230
2011 Grant $6,390
Ecological and Genetic Evaluation of Roatán’s Spiny-tailed Iguanas (Ctenosaura oedirhina)
Ashley Campbell, Stesha Pasachnik, and Stephen Hudman
$6,390
This IIF grant supports an ongoing project and builds on previous work done in 2010. The project will continue to collect vital life history data, as well as develop resource selection functions that will be used to model the iguana’s ecological niche on the island using GIS; an evaluation of the genetic structure of this species across the island will also be completed. This combination of natural history and genetic data is integral to the development of a much needed monitoring and strategic management plan for this endangered species.
2010 Grant $7,000
Conserving Roatán’s Spiny-tailed Iguana (Ctenosaura oedirhina) through Research, Education and Outreach
Stesha Pasachnik
$7,000
The IIF is funding research on this species to gather baseline data including basic biology, a population size estimate, extent of occurrence, and threats to this species to create a management plan as well as an outreach and education program.
2009 Grant $12,000
Conserving the Roatán Spiny-tailed Iguana (Ctenosaura oedirhina) Through Research, Education, and Outreach
Stesha Pasachnik
$12,000
Currently no active means of protection or management exists for this species at the national or local level. There is presently a lack of information concerning all aspects of the basic biology of the species as well as population size, extent of occurrence, and threats. The objectives of this project are to: (1) collect life history data on this species, including a population estimate and an evaluation of its distribution; (2) evaluate its current threats; (3) create a management plan in cooperation with local and national organizations; and (4) create a long-term education and outreach project on Roatán.