Grand Cayman Blue Iguana
Share what animal you choose for your report (see week 8 folder) with the rest of the class and briefly tell us the status of it and what steps, if any, you discovered for it’s conservation. You can include a picture or a link to a picture if you would like!
The graded elements of this discussion board will be as follows:
List your organism’s common name. (4 pts)
Where is this organism endemic? (4 pts)
Current status of the organism’s populations (endangered, vulnerable, etc.) (4 pts)
What steps are being taken, if any, to conserve the population? (4 pts)
ANSWER
Grand Cayman Blue Iguana
The Blue Iguana, scientifically known as Cyclura Lewisi, is a native and animal. It is a giant lizard-looking animal that grows to over 5 feet long and weighs over 25 pounds. The giant lizard also has a lifespan almost as long as one of the human beings (Villanueva et al., 2021). Grand Cayman Blue Iguana is also commonly known as blue Iguana. The other names include Cayman Island rock iguana and Grand Cayman ground iguana.
The blue Iguana is endemic to the Caribbean island of Grand Cayman. Its origin is probably where it got its name as it was only found in the Grand Cayman. The Blue Iguana is an endangered species, although it is an ongoing conservation success. In 2002 it was considered extinct, with 10-25 of them left in the wild (Conley et al., 2021). The population of the Blue Iguana is, however, increasing thanks to conservation efforts. The population of the species had been threatened by predators such as cats and dogs. They were also threatened by trapping and shooting framers and collection for the pet trade.
The ongoing conservation program on the Blue Iguanas has so far managed to salvage the remaining few iguanas and get their number to 750 (Conley et al., 2021). The species was listed from being critically endangered to endangered, which is an achievement since there is no hope for the species to return to being in tens of thousands due to the destruction of its natural habitat and the predators. The conservation program hopes to restore at least one thousand Iguanas to the wild. The conservation and recovery program involves protecting their habitats, research, monitoring them, and releasing them back into the wild. Iguanas are fascinating creatures that live solitary lives. The bigger iguanas usually bully the smaller ones forcing them to seek refuge far from the larger ones.
References
Conley, K. J., Seimon, T. A., Popescu, I. S., Wellehan Jr, J. F., Fox, J. G., Shen, Z., … & Calle, P. P. (2021). Systemic Helicobacter infection and associated mortalities in endangered Grand Cayman blue iguanas (Cyclura lewisi) and introduced green iguanas (Iguana iguana). PloS one, 16(2), e0247010.
Villanueva, C. N. D. J., Falcón, W., Velez-Zuazo, X., Papa, R., & Malone, C. L. (2021). Origin of the green iguana (Iguana iguana) invasion in the greater Caribbean Region and Fiji. Biological Invasions, 1-20.
