Species of the Day: Lesser Antillean Iguana

The Lesser Antillean Iguana, Iguana delicatissima, is listed as ‘Endangered’ on the IUCN Red List of Threatened SpeciesTM. Once common throughout most of the northern Lesser Antilles of the Caribbean, this impressive lizard has been extirpated from several islands and is declining on most others.

Habitat clearance for agriculture was the main historical cause of the decline of this species. Geographical range Now that tourism has taken over as the region’s chief industry, coastal development has led www.iucnredlist.org to further habitat loss. Hunting of the Lesser Antillean Iguana was prevalent in the past and, www.iucn-isg.org although now illegal, is still common in some areas. Other significant threats include predation Help Save Species by feral mammals such as mongooses, cats and dogs, and hybridization with Common www.arkive.org Iguanas (Iguana iguana).

The Lesser Antillean Iguana is legally protected throughout its range, but law enforcement is limited. It occurs in several nationally protected areas, but insufficient mitigation of existing threats lessens the conservation impact of these areas. Research on the species’ population biology and ecology is ongoing, and captive breeding efforts are underway at the Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust.

The production of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ is made possible through the IUCN Red List Partnership: Species of the Day IUCN (including the Species Survival Commission), BirdLife is sponsored by International, Conservation International, NatureServe and Zoological Society of London.