Cuban Ground Iguana

The Cuban iguana is a large lizard, only surpassed in size by the blue iguana among the Cyclura; it has an average body length of 40 centimeters (16 in) from snout to vent (the base of the tail). On rare occasions, individual males with lengths of 1.6 meters (5.2 ft) when measured from the snout to the tip of the tail have been recorded at the wildlife sanctuary within the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base with females being two thirds that size. The species is sexually dimorphic: males are much larger than females, and males have enlarged femoral pores on their thighs, which are used to release pheromones to attract mates and mark territory. The skin of male Cuban iguanas ranges in color from dark gray to brick red, whereas that of females is olive green with dark stripes or bands. In both sexes, limbs are black with pale brown oval spots and solid black feet. Young animals tend to be dark brown or green with faint darker striping or mottling in five to ten diagonal transverse bands on the body. These bands blend in with the body color as the iguana ages. Both sexes possess a dewlap (skin hanging below the neck) and a row of spines running down their back to their thick tail. Their heads and necks are short and stout, their teeth are solid and broad, and they have powerful jaw muscles. …

The Cuban iguana is found in rocky coastal areas on Cuba and throughout as many as 4,000 islets surrounding the Cuban mainland, including Isla de la Juventud off the southern coast, which has one of the most robust populations. Populations are found on islets along the north and south coasts and in protected areas on the mainland. These include Guanahacabibes Biosphere Reserve in the west, Desembarco del Granma National Park, Hatibonico Wildlife Refuge, Punta Negra-Quemados Ecological Reserve, and Delta del Cauto Wildlife Refuge, all in eastern Cuba. The population on the US Naval Base at Guantánamo Bay has been estimated at 2,000 to 3,000 individuals, and the animals are treated well and protected by US forces stationed at the base. According to Allison Alberts, an ecologist at the San Diego Zoo, among the many wildlife species at the base, "the Cuban iguana is one of the largest, undoubtedly the most visible, and certainly the most charismatic. It seems that no one completes a tour of duty at GTMO without getting to know these prehistoric-looking giants". An unusual incident occurred when a detainee in the prison assaulted a guard with a bloody tail torn from a Cuban iguana in 2005. The subspecies, C. n. caymanensis, is endemic to the "Sister Islands" of Little Cayman and Cayman Brac. …

Like all Cyclura species, the Cuban iguana is primarily herbivorous. It eats purslane, prickly pear (Opuntia sp.), black mangrove (Avicennia germinans), Harrisia cacti and grasses. Perhaps aiding in the digestion of this high-cellulose diet, colonies of nematodes occupy 50% of the contents of Cuban iguanas' large intestines. Cuban iguanas occasionally consume animal matter, and individuals have been observed scavenging the corpses of birds, fish and crabs. Researchers on Isla Magueyes observed a single episode of cannibalism in 2006 when an adult female iguana chased, caught, and ate a hatchling. The researchers wrote that the dense population on Isla Magueyes could have caused this incident.