Anegada rock iguana

How it lives

It lives in sandy scrub and rocky woodland on a low limestone island. A female lays one clutch of about 12 to 16 eggs a year in late spring or early summer. The wild population has about two males for every female. Zoo sources say it probably lives 60 to 80 years, though this is still being studied.

Where it goes

It stays on land and shelters in limestone caves and burrows. Where livestock has taken its food, iguanas now range more widely in search of mates and food. It lives only on Anegada and on Guana Island, where eight animals were moved in the 1980s.

We only draw a journey on the map when scientists have tracked it or clearly documented it. For this animal we have not found one yet.

Populations

Critically Endangered, and on CITES Appendix I. Population estimates differ by source and year: fewer than 300 (Wikipedia), about 200 to 300 (a San Diego Zoo fact sheet) and about 550 to 600 (International Iguana Foundation). Numbers fell by at least 80 percent over 40 years. Feral cats and dogs kill nearly all hatchlings and juveniles, and free-roaming cattle, donkeys and goats overgraze the scrub and trample nests. A headstart facility on Anegada has operated since 1997, and 32 iguanas were released in 2003.