Lesser Antillean Iguana

Iguana delicatissima

Meet the Lesser Antillean Iguana, one of the two members of the Iguana genus, and a resident of the Carribbean Lesser Antilles Islands.

Males of the species have a very interesting anatomical trait- they change color when it comes time to breed! They are typically more green in color, but when the time comes to mate their bodies goes gray, their jaws go pink, and the tops of their heads turn blue!

During the breeding season the dominant males will defends territories that contain up to half a dozen females. Reproduction coincides with the growth of vegetation during the wet season. This allows the new little hatchlings to have plenty of food right off the bat.

The Lesser Antillean Iguana was once found throughout the island chain, but they are now confined to only a few locations. Habitat loss, fragmentation, and hunting by both humans and introduced predators all played big parts in the population decline. Another factor was inbreeding; non-native Green Iguanas were introduced to the area and began to reproduce with the endemic species. The Lesser Antillean Iguanas are now illegal to hunt, but feral predators and hybridization still pose threats. There have been efforts to breed the species in captivity, but success has been extremely limited. The Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust is the only location to produce fertile eggs.

IUCN Status : Endangered
Location : Lesser Antilles
Size : Body Length up to 16in (40cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Sauropsida -- Order : Squamata
Family : Iguanidae -- Genus : Iguana -- Species : I. delicatissima

Comments

Bornean Orangutan

The Bornean Orangutan is one of two extant Orangutan species in the world. It is the third largest primate (after Gorillas) and is the largest primarily tree-dwelling animal in the world. Males are substantially larger than females, and average at around 165lbs. Bornean Orangutans are largely solitary. A handful might live within a small range but they will seldom interact with one another. Males and females only meet up to breed, which happens only once every several years. A young Orangutan will stay with it's mother for about five years, and the females tend to go about eight years between births. That is the longest interim period of any animal! Sadly, the Bornean Orangutans are in a lot of trouble. They need large forests in order to thrive, and deforestation and habitat degradation has left many homeless. They are also hunted for meat and for traditional medicines. Conservation areas are being established to help these guys in the wild, and it is believed that there are a...

Four!

For anyone who was counting, yesterday was our birthday-- four years! Four years filled with animals from A to Z, more than 1,100 of them! I can't thank my readers enough, it's been wonderful! And in celebration of that milestone... I'm taking a break. Hopefully not forever, but for a little bit at least. In the mean time I plan on getting a new layout out, along with some updates to some of the older articles. I'll post updates here and on the Facebook page, I'm also brainstorming some new animal-related projects, so keep an eye out! Thanks again for four awesome years!

Banggai Cardinalfish

Pterapogon kauderni The Banggai Cardinalfish is a small tropical fish that is becoming very rare in the wild, even though it has been successfully bred in captivity. You will only find these small, 3in long fish around the Banggai Islands of Indonesia. They are the only members of their genus, and you can tell them apart from other Cardinalfish by their three-striped bodies, tasseled first dorsal fin, long second dorsal, and their deep-forked tail fins. Banggai Cardinalfish are diurnal and live in small groups of about a dozen members. They are opportunistic feeders who dine on whatever smaller plants and animals they can find. Courtship and mating is pretty interesting for these guys-- females are the ones who initiate. They isolate a male and the pair will perform various courtship rituals before spawning. The Cardinalfish are mouthbrooders, which means that the males take the fertilized eggs (up to 90 of them) into their mouths and incubate them for up to 30 days. During t...

Animal A Day!

Search This Blog