GREEN IGUANA CONSERVATION PROJECT

FAQs #18 Buena Vista Street San Ignacio Town Cayo, Belize

What is an iguana? A large, arboreal, tropical reptile

What is a reptile? A reptile is the class of animal characterized by being cold -blooded, laying

eggs, and having scaly skin.

What is the scientific name for the Green Iguana? Iguana iguana

How big do they get? 5-6 Feet long, including their tail

Do Green Iguanas eat insects? Green Iguanas don ’t need a lot of protein so insects are not a

part of their regular diet, but they will eat the occasional mealworm or spider.

What kind of fruit do they eat in the wild? Figs, BriBri, and many more

What do you feed them in captivity? We feed our iguanas fruit, vegetables, chaya leaves, and

leaves that they have been seen eating in the wild.

How long do they live? Approximately 15 years in the wild and even more in captivity under

excellent conditions.

Are they green when they hatch? Yes, they’re green and full of energy!

Why are they green? Because they spend their first years in lower vegetation and the green

coloration helps them to blend in with the plants and protect them from predators (camouflage).

Are the adults green? No, the adults gradually change from green to darker colours such as

brownish green and black, however they sometimes still have tints of green in them.

Why are some iguanas orange and some are brown? The orange iguanas are males during

mating season and the brown ones are females during mating season.

What does gravid mean? The first period of gestation when the females carry developing eggs

for two months.

How long does gestation last? 5 months— Females develop the eggs internally for 2 months and

then they bury them in the sand where they remain for 3 months.

When is mating season? It starts in early December and will carry through to early February

Where do they live? Most of their lives are spent up in tall trees along river banks .

Do they lay their eggs in the trees? No, they lay their eggs in sandy tunnels which they dig along

the river banks.

When do they lay their eggs? During the months of March, April, and May.

How do the iguanas lay their eggs? Females will climb down from the trees to find suitable,

loose soil and then they dig tunnels several feet deep where they lay the eggs.

How many eggs does she lay? For the first years of laying, she will lay 20-30 but as she gets

bigger she will lay between 40-80 eggs.

Does she lay the eggs all together? She lays them over the span of a few hours.

Are the females mean at this time? Yes, they will defend their nesting site by whipping their

tails.

How many species of iguanas are there in Belize? There are two species of Iguanas in Belize:

the Spiny-tailed (ST) and the Green (G).

How do you tell the difference between the two?

(a) Habitat: ST live in old brick walls, stones, or underground; G live tree canopies

(b) Body Length: ST are shorter; G have very long tails that are twice the size of their bodies

(c) Coloration: ST are gray; G are green, brown, or orange

(d) Food: ST eat insects as well as fruits and vegetables; G eat fruits, leaves, and flowers

How long are the iguanas when they hatch? Between 20-30cm, including body and tail length

What does cold-blooded mean? Animals that cannot make their own body heat so they rely on

the sun to warm their bodies.

Do all of the eggs hatch? Not all the eggs hatch, some are parasitized or deformed, or they may

lack certain minerals crucial for their development.

How many of them hatch? Approximately 80% of the total collected eggs will hatch .

Do people eat iguanas? Yes, people throughout the Central American region eat iguanas,

particularly adult females when they are carrying eggs.

How do the iguanas defend themselves? By using their tails as a whip or lashing. The tail can

break off at the middle and the iguana can escape. Iguanas can also bite; they have 80 -120 razor

sharp teeth.

Does the tail grow back? Yes, they can regenerate normally within 6 months to one year.

Do the iguanas drink water? Iguanas occasionally drink water especially when the weather is

very hot and dry, but they normally get their water from the food they eat.

How long can they stay under water? Iguanas can remain under water for 20-30 minutes. They

are also excellent swimmers and divers— this is another way the iguanas escape from predators.

When do they reach sexual maturity? Females-2 years; Males-3 years

Do the females always produce fertile eggs? No, if the female has not mated she may produce

infertile eggs.

How can you tell when it is a fertile egg? Unfortunately there is no sure way to tell.

What is the texture of the eggs? Green Iguana eggs are soft and leathery like turtle eggs, not

brittle like bird eggs.

Do other body parts besides the tail regenerate? Yes, their toe nails, spines, skin, and teeth are

able to regenerate.

What is the function of the tail?

(a) Defence - whip or decoy

(b) Balance - brace itself while descending trees and helps to control movements

(c) Swimming

How do they mate? The male grips the female from the neck region, female remains still while

male positions himself in her, whichever side the male is on, he will use that side of his

hemipenis.

Do they have ears? Yes, they are called tympanum membranes (outer eardrum); these are the

brown scales on either side of their head.

How do you tell the difference between the males and females?

Are the eggs like other reptiles with heat determining the sex? warmer = male; cooler = female

What temperature do they require during incubation? Temperatures of 80-95 degrees Fahren-

heit.

What types of diseases and parasites do the iguanas get? They are hosts parasites such as ticks

and intestinal worms, they can get fungal and bacterial infections on their scales, and they can

also can develop deformities from an improper diet.

How do you treat these problems? Approximately once per month we give them baths in iodine

water and we pick off their ticks. The iodine helps prevent infections on the scales. We also de-

worm them every three months. In order to prevent diet related illnesses, we frequently add vit-

amins and calcium to their food.

How do they deal with these problems in the wild? They instinctively eat different leaves to get

rid of worms and to get the necessary vitamins and minerals. They also shed their skin regularly

to get rid of ticks and mites.

Why do you grow iguanas? The project of growing iguanas aims to educate people, especially

the younger generations. We teach our visits all about Green Iguanas including where they live

and the importance of protecting their natural home areas. This fosters the conservation and

protection of their natural habitat both for them and for the many other species that reside in

this unique habitat.

Males Females

Large femoral pores (mature males) Small femoral pores

On inner thighs they have swollen pockets under vent (hemipenis)

No hemipenis

Larger in size Smaller, darker

More aggressive More docile and calm

Expose dewlap more often Do not expose dewlap as often as partner

More than one partner

Is the Green Iguana a threatened specie? The Green Iguana is listed on the IUCN Red List as

least concerned however our Green Iguana population is under heavy stress due largely to over-

hunting and habitat destruction.

How can we help to save the Green Iguanas? We can all help to save the Green Iguanas by

allowing tree growth along our rivers and abstaining from hunting and eating them.

Will you release these Iguanas in the wild? Yes, we release our iguanas onto reserves where we

know they will thrive.

At what age will you release the iguanas? Iguanas are usually raised in conservatory for two

years and then released before reaching sexual maturity to avoid inbreeding.

Once the captive bred Iguanas are released in the wild, will they be able to live on their

own? The Iguanas we release from the conservatory have a good chance of survival in the wild.

They have very keen, natural instincts and are incredibly adaptable. They are herbivores and

will experience the same weather conditions as they did while growing up in the conservatory.

Are the Green Iguanas "smart"? Iguanas are very intelligent in ways that allow them to survive

everyday threats, forage for food, recall certain smells and sounds, and much more.

What are the other common names for the Green Iguanas in Belize? The male Green Iguana is

called "Garrobo" and the female Green Iguana is called "Guana". Belizeans also call the Green

Iguana "Bamboo Chicken".

When was the Green Iguana Conservation Project founded? It was founded in 1996 when we

started collecting at-risk iguana eggs from the farmland river banks in the village of Bullet Tree

Falls here in the Cayo District. The newest exhibit was built and opened to the public in

November 2003.

How is this Project supported? The San Ignacio Resort supports the project with fees charged

for the tour, donations, and programs such as “Adopt an Iguana”. There is no government or

outside funding.