Fiji banded iguana

Physical features

• Fiji banded iguanas are bright green lizards that grow up to around 21 inches long including the tail.

• Their tails are very long, making up more than two thirds of their total length.

• Fiji banded iguanas have a crest of raised scales running down their spines.

• Males have large light green or blue bands on their bodies and tails.

• Fiji banded iguanas are sexually dimorphic with males being larger than females and with females typically being solid green.

• Fiji banded iguanas are mostly active during the day.

Diet: Herbivore

• Wild – Flowers, fruits, leaves.

• Zoo – Leafy greens, fruits, vegetables, flowers

Reproduction

• Fiji banded iguanas become sexually mature at 3 years old in captivity and are thought to become sexually mature at 4 years old in the wild.

• A male Fiji banded iguana will court a female by bobbing his head and flicking his tongue at her.

• After mating females dig borrows in which they lay 3 to 6 eggs which will hatch 7 to 9 months later.

• There is no care provided to hatchlings from either parent.

Interpretive Information

• Fiji banded iguanas are arboreal, but they are also good swimmers.

• The Fiji banded iguana and a closely related species of iguana, the Lau banded iguana, were formerly classified as a single species.

• While Fiji banded iguanas are native to the country of Fiji, those found in the country of Vanuatu were introduced from Fiji and released by a reptile dealer in the 1960s.

• Fiji iguanas can expel excess salt through their nostrils.

Updated July 2024