Celebrate Cayman
The Grand Cayman Blue Iguana
This rareand endangered Grand Cayman Blue Iguana is part of the NationalTrust for the Cayman Islands' Blue Iguana Conservation Programme.
There are many things unique to the CaymanIslands none more so than the Grand Cayman Blue Iguana.
Bearing the scientific name - Cyclura nubilalewisi - this magnificent creature is endemic to Grand Cayman- meaning it is found nowhere else in the world. The Grand CaymanBlue Iguana is a subspecies of the Cuban Rock Iguana and is closelyrelated to the Rock Iguana found on Cayman Brac and Little Cayman.Its local name comes from its remarkable blue colour which isparticularly prominent in the adult males.
Iguanas are cold-blooded creatures and asa result they need to warm themselves in the sunshine to becomeactive. Early in the day, when they are cool, the adult iguanais a uniform dark grey. This colour absorbs heat very efficiently.As the animal warms up it has to ensure that it does not overheatand as a result the cells responsible for colouration, known aschromophores, contract revealing the distinctive powder blue colourunderneath.
Iguanas are large lizards with red eyesand a row of spines which run from the back of the head to thetip of the tail. The male is larger than the female and has substantialjaw muscles giving it a very strong bite! They are, however, vegetarian,foraging for fruits, flowers and leaves. Iguanas never stop growing,although the growth rate does slow down with age. Adults of fivefeet in length from nose to tail are not uncommon. They are relativelyunsociable creatures and tend to live alone, not encouraging othersto stay in their chosen area. When feeling threatened, iguanasturn themselves sideways and draw themselves up as high as possibleon their four legs and flatten their bodies laterally so thattheir total size looks as large as possible.
Fierce fights do occur, especially duringmating season amongst males who are aggressive from a very earlyage.
When the first settlers arrived in GrandCayman, it is thought that many of these creatures lived on thecoast, laying their eggs in the sand on the edge of the beach:a pattern of behaviour that can still be seen in the Little CaymanRock Iguana. As time passed, humans, who brought with them dogs,cats and rats, preferred these areas too, and soon the iguanaswere forced to retreat inland, where nesting sites were harderto find. Yet the iguanas were able to hang on. They learned thatthe edge of newly cleared farmland was a suitable habitat withopen areas for sunning themselves, soil for nesting, and amplebush for foraging and security. The dangers posed by roaming petsand the farmer's gun were not quite enough to destroy the populationentirely.
Unfortunately the Grand Cayman Blue Iguanastands on the brink of extinction, but due to the National Trustfor the Cayman Islands' Blue Iguana Conservation Programme ithas managed to take a few steps back over recent years.
For more information about the Cayman IslandsQuincentennial Celebrations visit www.cayman500.ky or contactthe Quincentennial Celebrations Office located at 946-9992 oremail info@cayman500.ky.