Reptiles
Anegada Iguana
Cyclura pinguis · also called Anegada ground iguana
In the scrub behind a white-sand beach on Anegada, an Anegada iguana lumbers out of its burrow into the sun, one of only a few hundred left in the world.
Overview
The Anegada iguana, Cyclura pinguis, is a Critically Endangered rock iguana found naturally only on the island of Anegada in the British Virgin Islands. Its escape from near-extinction through head-start releases and the control of feral animals makes it one of the Caribbean’s conservation successes in progress.
A recovery on a flat island
By removing the goats that stripped its habitat and protecting young iguanas until they are large, conservationists have turned a collapsing population around.
Status
Critically Endangered, with an increasing population.
Anegada Iguana: common questions
Where does the Anegada iguana live?
It lives naturally only on Anegada, a low coral island in the British Virgin Islands, with new populations on a few nearby cays.
What nearly wiped it out?
Feral goats destroyed its habitat, while cats and dogs killed the young, taking the wild population down to a few dozen.
How is it being saved?
Young iguanas are hatched and raised in protected enclosures until they are big enough to survive, then released into the wild.
What does the Anegada iguana eat?
It eats the leaves, flowers, and fruit of coastal shrubs, cacti, and other island plants.