Stats
IUCN Status: Critically Endangered
Range: Útila Island, Honduras
Population: Unknown, estimated less than 7,500
Size: Up to 15.75 inches in length from snout to vent, 33.5 inches total
Threats: Habitat destruction for private and commercial development; hunting for food (particularly gravid females); predation by dogs, cats, raccoons, and rats.
The Útila Spiny-tailed Iguana (Ctenosaura bakeri) is a Critically Endangered species endemic to the small Honduran island of Útila. The total population size of this iguana is estimated at only 5,000 individuals and is dwindling. The species is heavily reliant on mangrove ecosystems, and they spend the majority of their lives in the swampy forest—giving them the island nickname of the “Swamper.”
This unique species is under threat from three main factors: invasive species, habitat destruction, and illegal poaching. The Swampers exist solely in just 2.5 square miles of mangrove forest. There is only one protected area on Útila, encompassing a total of 3.8 square miles, and it contains 24% of the Swampers total habitat.
The International Iguana Foundation has supported on-the-ground conservation efforts of this species for about 10 years, with a focus on preserving the Turtle Harbour Wildlife Refuge protected area for the Swamper. This includes funds to purchase a boat for the NGOs to access the protected area easily; supporting reforestation of the mangrove forest; releasing headstarted iguanas; population surveys; and control of illegal poaching and invasive species within the protected area.
Species Information
- The Útila Spiny-tailed Iguana (Ctenosaura bakeri), or “Swamper” as it is known locally because it lives in mangrove swamps, is only found on the island of Útila, located in the Bay Island archipelago off the Caribbean coast of Honduras.
- They are mainly found in mangrove forests but can be seen in developed areas. Adults are often observed in the mornings basking in the sun on the ground or in mangrove trees. They use hollows in mangrove trees as hideaways, and research has shown that the availability of these hollows is an important habitat characteristic for them.
- They are mainly herbivorous, but they are also known to eat insects and crabs.
- Útila Spiny-tailed Iguanas use sandy shores with coastal vegetation for breeding. Females move to the shore after mating to nest. They make their nests under leaf litter, underneath large trees, and in shrub areas. Their nests may be several feet long and up to two feet (60 cm) deep.
- Females lay from 11 to 16 eggs in the nest, and gestation is about 85 days.
- The main threats facing Útila Spiny-tailed Iguanas are habitat loss, due to development for the tourist industry, and unsustainable hunting for their meat and eggs. Habitat destruction has been shown to contribute to declining body condition and health of iguanas in the population. They are also at risk from introduced predators, such as raccoons; invasive plants that can damage the quality of their habitat; and pollution, which especially affects their nesting habitat.
- The species is protected under Honduran national law and hunting is prohibited; however, enforcement is rare and poaching is a regular occurrence, even within the Turtle Harbour Wildlife Refuge area.
- Conservation measures include breeding, headstarting, and reintroduction programs to increase the population numbers and hatchling survival, as well as environmental education, community outreach, and creation of community livelihoods to replace poaching.
IIF Grants Received
2023 Grant $10,000
Deploying Strategic Invasive Species Management of Raccoons (Procyon lotor) on Útila Island, Honduras, to Save the Swamper Iguana (Ctenosaura bakeri)
Daisy Maryon and Tom Brown
$10,000
2022 Grants $33,261
“Saving the Swamper” (Ctenosaura bakeri): Conservation, Monitoring, and Education
Ana Daniela Sansur, Kanahau Wildlife Conservation Organization
$24,920
Movement Ecology and Reproductive Migration of a Critically Endangered Iguana (Ctenosaura bakeri)
Josiah Townsend, Indiana University of Pennsylvania Research Institute
$8,341
2021 Grants $17,560
Útila Spiny-tailed Iguana Conservation: Habitat Protection and Community Engagement
Jimmy Andino, Fundación Islas de la Bahía
$7,500
Conservation of the Útila Spiny-tailed Iguana
Ana Daniela Sansur, Kanahau Wildlife Conservation Organization
$10,060
2019 Grant $4,080
“Save the Swamper” Conservation outreach and population monitoring of Útila Spiny-tailed iguanas
Daisy Maryon
$4,080
2018 Grant $11,495
“Save the Swamper”, Conservation Outreach and Population Monitoring of Útila Spiny-tailed Iguanas (Ctenosaura bakeri), Honduras
Daisy Maryon
$11,495
2017 Grant $11,000
Conservation Approaches, Population Monitoring and Nesting Ecology of the Critically Endangered Útila Spiny-tailed Iguana Ctenosaura bakeri on the Island of Útila, Honduras
Daisy Maryon
$11,000
2016 Grant $9,970
Population, Hybridization, and Nesting Ecology of the Critically Endangered Útila Spiny-tailed Iguana, Ctenosaura bakeri, on the Island of Útila, Honduras
Daisy Maryon
$9,970
2015 Grant $11,555
A Study of the Reproductive and Dispersal Behavior of the Critically Endangered Útila Spiny-tailed Iguana, Ctenosaura bakeri, on the Island of Útila, Honduras
Daisy Maryon and David Lee
$11,555