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Cfreptiles & Amphibians WWW.IRCF.ORG/REPTILESANDAMPHIBIANSJOURNALTABLE OF CONTENTS IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANSIRCF REPTILES • VOL15, NO & 4 AMPHIBIANS• DEC 2008 189 • 21(1):1–8 • MAR 2014 IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS CONSERVATION AND NATURAL HISTORY TABLE OF CONTENTS FEATURE ARTICLES .LostChasing Bullsnakes Iguanas: (Pituophis catenifer sayi) in Wisconsin: Trouble in Paradise On the Road to Understanding the Ecology and Conservation of the Midwest’s Giant Serpent ...................... Joshua M. Kapfer 190 . The Shared History of TreeboasStesha (Corallus A. Pasachnikgrenadensis) and1 Humansand Rosanna on Grenada: Carreras De León2 A Hypothetical Excursion ............................................................................................................................Robert W. Henderson 198 1Institute for Conservation Research, San Diego Zoo Global, Escondido, CA 92027, USA RESEARCH ARTICLES2Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USA . The Texas Horned Lizard in Central and Western Texas ....................... Emily Henry, Jason Brewer, Krista Mougey, and Gad Perry 204 . The Knight Anole (Anolis equestrisPhotographs) in Florida by Victor Hugo Reynoso, unless otherwise stated. .............................................Brian J. Camposano, Kenneth L. Krysko, Kevin M. Enge, Ellen M. Donlan, and Michael Granatosky 212 CONSERVATION ALERT . World’s Mammals in Crisis ............................................................................................................................................................. 220 . More Than Mammals ...................................................................................................................................................................... 223 ispaniola is second. The “Dow only Jones toIndex” Cuba of Biodiversity in size ........................................................................................................................................... and biodi- distribution throughout much of the 225 arid lowlands across the Hversity among West Indian islands, and is unique entire island. in being the onlyHUSBANDRY island with two native species of Rock According to IUCN Red List Assessments (Ottenwalder . Captive Care of the Central Netted Dragon ....................................................................................................... Shannon Plummer 226 Iguanas, the Rhinoceros Iguana (Cyclura cornuta; Fig. 1) 1996a, 1996b), both species are threatened by habitat and Ricord’s IguanaPROFILE (C. ricordii). The island’s geologic his- destruction, competition with invasive mammalian herbi- tory is likely responsible.. Kraig Adler:Hispaniola A Lifetime Promoting was formed Herpetology during ................................................................................................ the vores, predation by introduced Michael L. Treglia mammalian 234 predators, and middle Miocene whenCOMMENTARY North and South paleoislands joined poaching. Cyclura ricordii is listed as Critically Endangered (Graham 2003). A .logicalThe Turtles hypothesisHave Been Watching suggests Me ........................................................................................................................ that each (Ottenwalder 1996b), and Erichas Gangloff been 238 the subject of consider- paleoisland held oneBOOK species, REVIEW and when the two islands joined, able attention by conservation biologists in the recent past the ranges of both species. Threatened shifted, Amphibians eventually of the World resulting edited by S.N. in Stuart, the M. Hoffmann,(e.g., Rupp J.S. Chanson, et al. N.A. 2009, Cox, Rupp 2010). Cyclura cornuta, cur- distributions seen today.R. Berridge,Cyclura P. Ramani, ricordii and B.E. is Youngrestricted .............................................................................................................. to the rently listed as Vulnerable (Ottenwalder Robert Powell 243 1996a), was thought southwestern Dominican Republic (DR) and just across the to be more stable, in part because of its wide distribution; CONSERVATION RESEARCH REPORTS: Summaries of Published Conservation Research Reports ................................. 245 southern border into NATURAL Haiti, whereasHISTORY RESEARCHC. cornuta REPORTS has a : larger Summaries of Publishedhowever, Reports populations on Natural History may ................................. be declining 247 dramatically. Recent NEWBRIEFS ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 248 EDITORIAL INFORMATION ..................................................................................................................................................... 251 FOCUS ON CONSERVATION: A Project You Can Support ............................................................................................... 252 Front Cover. Shannon Plummer. Back Cover. Michael Kern Totat et velleseque audant mo Totat et velleseque audant mo estibus inveliquo velique rerchil estibus inveliquo velique rerchil erspienimus, quos accullabo. Ilibus erspienimus, quos accullabo. Ilibus aut dolor apicto invere pe dolum aut dolor apicto invere pe dolum fugiatis maionsequat eumque fugiatis maionsequat eumque moditia erere nonsedis ma sectiatur moditia erere nonsedis ma sectia- ma derrovitae voluptam, as quos tur ma derrovitae voluptam, as accullabo. Fig. 1. The Rhinoceros Iguana (Cyclura cornuta) is endemic to Hispaniola, the only island with two species of Rock Iguanas. Photograph by Stesha A. Pasachnik. Copyright © 2014. Stesha A. Pasachnik. All rights reserved. 1 PASACHNIK AND CARRERAS DE LEON IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS • 21(1):1–8 • MAR 2014 surveys by the authors indicated that the majority of C. cor- under natural conditions in these facilities, breeding is exten- nuta populations outside of the southwestern DR are strug- sive even with very little human intervention. Many facili- gling. Multiple diurnal surveys at numerous locations resulted ties are now grossly overpopulated, and no systematic release in no sightings or very scarce signs of iguanas. In addition, a programs exist for the country or at individual facilities. In new and unique threat is appearing — the iguanario (Fig. 2). addition, the employee turnover rate at these iguanarios is The first iguanario or iguana breeding facility was estab- such that most current employees are unaware of the original lished in 1997 at the tourist attraction known as Manati goals, and have very little historical information about their Park, in Bavaro, in the southeastern DR. Given the financial facilities and the animals. success of this facility at bringing in tourists, similar estab- In many cases the cycle begins when iguanas are con- lishments were eventually established across much of the fiscated from individuals who are attempting to sell them, country. Manati Park itself holds hundreds of iguanas of which is illegal in the DR (Environmental Law 64-00). Once various age classes and has been referred to in the literature confiscated, iguanas are brought to the National Zoo in as an “iguana factory” (Powell et al. 2002). Iguana popula- Santo Domingo (ZooDom), usually with little or no local- tions at other facilities number from the hundreds to just a ity data. By 2009, ZooDom reported having 250 C. cornuta few individuals at hotels (Fig. 3). The original purpose for as a result of confiscations (http://www.listindiario.com/la- the iguanarios was to help conserve Rhinoceros Iguanas by vida/2009/6/1/103245/Peligro-acecha-a-las-iguanas). Their creating breeding groups that would be able to supplement facilities (Fig. 4) probably should not have had more than diminishing wild populations, and aid in research and edu- 20 individuals at one time. At ZooDom, individuals are not cation efforts (Powell et al. 2002). Unfortunately, the situa- marked to allow individual identification or tracking. They tion has taken a turn for the worse. Because the iguanas live are simply placed in large enclosures where they often breed, Fig. 2. Sign pointing to the iguanario located in Los Tocones, Samana. 2 PASACHNIK AND CARRERAS DE LEON IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS • 21(1):1–8 • MAR 2014 Fig. 3. Iguanarios holding Rhinoceros Iguanas (Cyclura cornuta) in the Dominican Republic as of 2013. Arrows indicate trafficking or movement patterns of captive individuals to the best of our knowledge. Circles indicate zoos, squares are large-scale facilities, and triangles are small-scale facilities. thus diluting any potential genetic locality signatures that may haphazardly. Consequently, no records are associated with have existed. This constant influx of iguanas placed ZooDom any of these individuals as they move from one location to in a very difficult position, and many of the iguanas were and the next, where they breed randomly and often escape or are are farmed out to other facilities. Some iguanarios were even released. created for the sole purpose of relieving ZooDom of excess In short, the situation is purely chaotic, and the paths animals. In other instances, iguanas were released into the iguanas have taken to get to where they are now, with what wild (i.e., 150 individuals were released in 2001; Secretaria de individuals they have bred, and which individuals have been Estado de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales 2001). In released into the wild are unknown. At this time, simply too both cases, iguanas were moved or released with no consider- ation
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