One of the 9 iguanas on WAnimals
Reptiles · Squamata · Iguanidae
Grand Cayman Blue Iguana
Cyclura lewisi
It faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future. See full glossary
The Grand Cayman blue iguana is a large lizard endemic to the island of Grand Cayman, which takes on an intense turquoise blue when basking or during the breeding season. In 2002 there were between ten and twenty-five individuals left in the wild and the species was given up as doomed. A captive breeding and reintroduction programme has taken the population past a thousand.
Weight
11 kg – 14 kg
Size
1 m – 1.5 m
Lifespan
60 years
Diet
Herbivore
Feeds mainly on plants.
Activity
Diurnal
Active mainly during the day.
Social structure
Solitary
Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.
Sighting difficulty
Hard
Estimated population
Around 1,000 individuals
Fun facts
- GeneralIt was once down to a dozen animals; today there are over a thousand, thanks to captive breeding.
- In 2002 there were between ten and twenty-five animals left in the wild: it was one of the most threatened species on the planet, and today it numbers more than a thousand thanks to a breeding and reintroduction programme cited as a benchmark success.
- Its blue deepens with heat and in the breeding season: a cold or stressed animal is brownish grey, and the turquoise that gives it its name appears only when it is active in the sun.
- It can live more than sixty years, and some of the founder animals of the recovery programme are still alive and breeding two decades on.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (reptile)
- Habitat & environment
- Dry forest, coastal scrub and rocky ground
- Sexual maturity
- 4 years
- Gestation / incubation
- 70 days of incubation
- Litter / clutch size
- 15 eggs
Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclura_lewisi
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Grand Cayman Blue Iguana — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Lau Banded Iguana
Brachylophus fasciatus
Hispaniolan Rhinoceros Iguana
Cyclura cornuta
Common Spiny-tailed Iguana
Ctenosaura similis
Common Desert Iguana
Dipsosaurus dorsalis
Common Chuckwalla
Sauromalus ater
Least ConcernGreen Iguana
Iguana iguana
How to help
The grand cayman blue iguana is classified as endangered. Organizations such as UICN, WWF y Wildlife Conservation Society work specifically on its conservation and that of its habitat; looking into their programs is a good starting point if you want to get involved.
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