JAmaican iguana

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Help stop habitat loss

Overall grey in color and somewhat greenish or blue.
Bluish tints frame their face and on the crests of their spines
The skin of Jamaican ground Iguana’s is often stained red by the iron-rich soil in its habitat (particularly females due to nesting)
Weigh up to 13-20 lbs
Sexually dimorphic; males are bigger than females with more prominent dorsal spines

Range – At one time it had a range throughout the majority of Jamaica. The only restriction used to be the drier sections of the South Coast of the Country.
Habitat – tropical dry forest; rugged limestone areas from sea level up to 200 m

Leaves, fruits, flowers of a wide variety of plant species supplemented occasionally by animal matter, including snails and insects.

Seasonal, communal nester
Nesting occurs in underground burrows filled with loose soil
Deposit eggs mid-June (85-87 days incubation)
Clutch size: 6-20 eggs depending on size of female
Only three communal known nesting sites occur in the wild- nests outside this site are exposed to high levels of predation and have nearly no success.

Due to small range in single location where there is a continuing decline in habitat
Part of decline due to Indian Mongoose (invasive/introduced species), changing land use patterns and human population growth.
Traditionally they were hunted for meat
Population protected in central core (away from predators) is increasing; outside this area the population trend is unknown.
Most of Jamaica’s remaining ecologically important forests (including Hellshire Hills) are owned by the government and protected by law under the Forest Act of 1996 (when The Jamaican Iguana was first announced Critically endangered).
The Hellshire Hills is currently part of the Portland Bright Protected Area (PBPA) which is the largest protected area and includes both of the Goat Islands.
Captive-reared juveniles may be used to establish satellite populations on the Goat Islands.

The Jamaican iguana is one of the most endangered reptiles in the world.
The Jamaican iguana is Jamaica’s largest native land animal.
It was actually thought to be extinct in the 1940s but a tiny population was rediscovered in 1990
Today the only known wild population consists of only 100 individuals (about 200-300 individuals in the world total)
Their scientific name is Cyclura collei; Cyclura comes from the Greek words Cyclos meaning “circular” and urus meaning “tail” named after the thick ringed tail characteristic of all Cyclura iguanas. Collei is Latin for “hill” and refers to the regions in which it was once found.
Although not considered marine organism, Jamaican Iguanas are excellent swimmers and can spend long periods of time in the water if necessary. This way they can survive floods and even hurricanes.
This species may be important for seed dispersal in its habitat.

Grant, T.D. & Pasachnik, S.A. 2021. Cyclura collei. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T6027A206739532. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-3.RLTS.T6027A206739532.en. Accessed on 13 November 2023.
Jamaican Ground Iguana (Cyclura colliei). Retrieved from http://www.arkive.org/jamaican-ground-iguana/cyclura-collei/
Rock Iguanas. Retrieved from https://www.aza.org/Education/KidsAndFamilies/detail.aspx?id=3152
Rock Iguanas. Retrieved from http://www.reptilecare.com/cyclura-michigan.pdf
Zoo Atlanta Animal Care Team

Updated April 2024