Reptiles
Jamaican Iguana
Cyclura collei
In the dry limestone forest of Jamaica’s Hellshire Hills, a Jamaican iguana climbs out of a rock crevice into the morning sun, a species that vanished from view for almost thirty years.
Overview
The Jamaican iguana, Cyclura collei, is a Critically Endangered rock iguana found only in the Hellshire Hills of southern Jamaica. Its rediscovery in 1990, after it was feared extinct, and its recovery through a head-start programme make it a flagship for Caribbean reptile conservation.
A species rediscovered
After decades without a confirmed sighting, a hunter caught a Jamaican iguana in 1990, and conservationists have worked ever since to protect the remaining forest and raise young iguanas safely.
Status
Critically Endangered, with an increasing population thanks to head-start releases.
Jamaican Iguana: common questions
Was the Jamaican iguana really thought to be extinct?
Yes, it was believed extinct until a wild boar hunter caught one in the Hellshire Hills in 1990, revealing a tiny surviving population.
What almost wiped it out?
Young iguanas were eaten by introduced mongooses, feral cats, and dogs, which almost wiped out the species.
What is a head-start programme?
Young iguanas are raised in protected enclosures until they are large enough to survive predators, then released into the wild.
Where does the Jamaican iguana live?
It survives only in the Hellshire Hills of southern Jamaica, a patch of dry limestone forest.