Turks and Caicos rock iguana facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Turks and Caicos rock iguana |
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| Conservation status | |
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| Genus: |
Cyclura
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| Species: |
carinata
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The Turks and Caicos rock iguana (Cyclura carinata) is a special kind of lizard. It lives only on the Turks and Caicos islands. This small iguana can grow to about 76 centimeters (30 inches) long. It becomes an adult at seven years old and can live for 20 years.
Every year, a female iguana lays one group of eggs, usually up to nine. These eggs hatch after about three months. This iguana mostly eats plants, like leaves and fruits. But sometimes, it also eats small animals.
Sadly, these iguanas are in danger. There used to be many of them, but now their numbers are much lower. This is mainly because of animals like cats and dogs that people brought to the islands. These pets hunt the iguanas. Also, their homes are being damaged. Too many animals eating plants means less food for the iguanas. Because of these problems, the International Union for Conservation of Nature says they are an endangered species. People are working hard to protect them. Some iguanas have even been moved to islands where no people or pets live, to help them survive.
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Meet the Turks and Caicos Rock Iguana
The Turks and Caicos rock iguana is a unique lizard. It was first described in 1825 by an American zoologist named Richard Harlan. The name carinata means "keeled," which describes its scales. This iguana lives on about 50 to 60 of the 200 islands and cays in the Turks and Caicos. There is also a special type of this iguana called Bartsch's iguana, which lives only on Booby Cay.
What Does This Iguana Look Like?
The Turks and Caicos rock iguana is one of the smallest types of Cyclura iguanas. When fully grown, it is less than 77 centimeters (30 inches) long. Its main color can be green or brownish-grey, often with darker patterns. Unlike other Cyclura iguanas, it does not have large scales on its head. It also has bigger spines on its back.
Male iguanas are usually bigger than females. They can be twice as heavy. Males also have larger crests on their backs and special pores on their thighs. These differences help tell males and females apart.
Where Do These Iguanas Live?
The Turks and Caicos rock iguana lives on small islands called cays. However, they have lost most of their original homes. This is mostly because of animals like cats and dogs that were brought to the islands.
Little Water Cay is one island where about 2,000 iguanas live. To help tourists see them without disturbing them, a special boardwalk was built. Visitors can walk along the boardwalk but are not allowed to step off it.
These iguanas like to live in rocky areas and sandy places. They need sand to lay their eggs. The Turks and Caicos iguana is active during the day. At night, it sleeps in burrows it digs or in natural hiding spots under rocks.
What Do Turks and Caicos Iguanas Eat?
Like all Cyclura iguanas, the Turks and Caicos rock iguana mostly eats plants. They enjoy leaves, flowers, and fruits from more than 58 different kinds of plants. Very rarely, they might eat insects, snails, crabs, spiders, or even other small lizards. They have also been seen eating dead animals. Scientists believe these iguanas can live for at least 20 years.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
Male iguanas are ready to have babies when they are seven years old. They protect their areas all year to make sure they have enough food and can find females. Female iguanas only protect their nesting spots when they lay eggs and for a few weeks afterward.
Iguanas mate in May. In June, the female lays one group of eggs, usually between two and nine eggs. The eggs hatch in September after about 90 days.
Why Are These Iguanas Disappearing?
Most types of Cyclura iguanas are facing problems, and the Turks and Caicos rock iguana is no different. Its small size makes it easy prey for animals like dogs and cats that people brought to the islands. For example, in the 1970s, a small number of dogs and cats on Pine Cay completely wiped out a population of 15,000 iguanas in just five years.
Another problem is that farm animals like goats and cows eat the same plants as the iguanas. This means less food for the iguanas.
How Are We Helping These Iguanas?
Even though Little Water Cay is home to over 2,000 Turks and Caicos rock iguanas, they have disappeared from many other islands where they used to live. Little Water Cay is now a nature reserve. This means no dogs or cats are allowed on the island. This rule helps keep the critically endangered iguanas safe.
In 2000, scientists from the San Diego Zoo helped move 218 iguanas. They moved them from Big Ambergris and Little Water Cay, where they were in danger, to four islands that had no people living on them. These new islands are part of the Turks and Caicos reserve system.
So far, 98 percent of these moved iguanas have survived! They have adapted well to their new homes and even had babies in their first breeding season. The young iguanas born in 2002 are growing much bigger than iguanas on the islands their parents came from. Some are even 400% larger!
In 2015, a program started to get rid of rats on the islands. This helps the iguanas because rats can sometimes eat iguana eggs or young iguanas.
The Turks and Caicos government also created laws in 2003 to protect the iguanas. The National Trust for the Turks and Caicos Islands helps manage Little Water Cay to make sure it stays safe for the iguanas. They also have a program to remove wild cats from Pine Cay and Water Cay.
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Turks and Caicos rock iguana
