Ctenosaura bakeri

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Ctenosaura bakeri

Critically Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
CITES Appendix II (CITES)[2]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Iguania
Family: Iguanidae
Genus: Ctenosaura
Species:
C. bakeri
Binomial name
Ctenosaura bakeri
Stejneger, 1901
Synonyms[3]
  • Ctenosaura bakeri
    Stejneger, 1901
  • Enyaliosaurus bakeri
    — J. Meyer & Wilson, 1973
  • Ctenosaura bakeri
    — Wilson & Hahn, 1973
  • Ctenosaura (Loganiosaura) bakeri
    — G. Köhler et al., 2000

Ctenosaura bakeri, also known as the Utila spiny-tailed iguana, Baker's spinytail iguana, swamper or wishiwilly del suampo, is a

Islas de la Bahía off the coast of Honduras in the Caribbean.[1]

The Utila iguana is the only

herbivorous, although it can be an opportunistic carnivore.[6]
Males may grow up to 76 centimeters (30 in) in length, while females are smaller, with a length of up to 56 centimeters (22 in). Eggs are laid in sandy beaches and hatch about 60–76 days later, with the hatchlings returning to live in the mangrove forests.

Brought to the brink of extinction by the 1990s due to hunting, it was brought back to international attention by German herpetologist Dr. Gunther Köhler and his book Reptiles of Central America.[7] Although several zoos and wildlife associations have instituted programs for the iguanas on Utila, the species still finds itself threatened due to overhunting and may face more of a threat in the form of habitat loss.[1] Extreme conservation efforts are in place to try to prevent this species from going extinct.[8]

Taxonomy

Ctenosaura bakeri was first described by Norwegian-born American zoologist Leonhard Stejneger in 1901, while working for the Smithsonian Institution.[9] The generic name, Ctenosaura, is derived from two Greek words: ctenos (Κτενός), meaning "comb" (referring to the comblike spines on the lizard's back and tail), and saura (σαύρα), meaning "lizard".[8] Its specific name, bakeri, is the Latinized form of Stejneger's friend and colleague Frank Baker, who was a former director of the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.[7]

The

Iguana iguana in the Lesser Antilles or a land bridge to the mainland lost during the close of the last ice age.[4]

Distribution and habitat

Utila Spiny-tailed Iguana, in the London Zoo.

Endemic to

anole, Anolis utilensis, that lives solely in mangrove forests.[4]

Description

The Utila iguana has a grey-brown to black coloring when young, the only species of spiny-tail iguana with such a dark color when young. Other members of the genus have a green or yellow coloring when young and turn darker with age. As this animal matures it can be a blue or light gray in color, depending on heat conditions or even the animal's temper.[4][8]

Males achieve a maximum total length (including tail) of 76 centimeters (30 in), while females are typically 30% smaller at 56 centimeters (22 in) total length. Males have a small dewlap and a dorsal crest made up of 56 large dorsal spines, making the animal sexually dimorphic.[8] This dorsal crest consists of white and black spines arranged in alternating groups of two or three of the same color.[4]

Diet

Like most iguanids, Ctenosaura bakeri is primarily

Hemidactylus frenatus.[6]

Reproduction

Adults make their homes within holes in various mangrove trees and maintain an

gravid females are forced to migrate to nearby sandy beaches in order to bury their clutches of eggs so they can incubate in the hot sun.[1] After digging their nest burrows and laying their eggs, the females abandon the nests and return to the mangroves.[7] Sixty to seventy-four days later the hatchlings emerge and move back to the swamps.[5]

The hatchlings are 15 centimeters (5.9 in) long, the body length being a mere 3 centimeters (1.2 in) with the tail accounting for 12 centimeters (4.7 in) of its total length.[5] The hatchlings' dark skin color enables them to blend in with the dark floor of the mangrove forests to help elude predators.[4]

Conservation status

Gunther Köhler found the species at the brink of extinction, perhaps even functionally extinct in the wild as of 1994 due to overhunting and its restricted habitat.

National Autonomous University of Honduras.[11]

This species currently has an estimated wild population of 10,000 animals in 2–3 subpopulations, but is greatly threatened by

IUCN, exotic invasive plants cover the ground near the mangroves and make the area inappropriate for nesting sites.[1] The iguana is locally hunted for meat, although efforts to educate locals have helped reduce this somewhat in recent years.[8][12]

In 2004, as a result of Köhler's expedition and subsequent book, Reptiles of Central America, the Conservation Project of the Utila Iguana (CPUI) was founded.[7] The International Iguana Society and the CPUI have sought to purchase land to preserve habitats for the iguanas and plan to establish an outpost staffed by Iguana Research and Breeding station personnel, who will aid in monitoring the property and work with developers to select building sites that preserve as much undisturbed beach area as possible.[11]

The Iguana Research and Breeding station employs a "head-starting" program for newly hatched iguanas. "Head-starting", originally used to protect hatching

Blue Iguana.[13]

Zoological institutions

The Utila iguana is maintained in a number of zoos throughout Europe, as well as two in the United States (

hurricanes or over-hunting.[7][8] The population is currently stable, but future declines are expected as a result of the threats mentioned above.[1]

According to the

International Species Information System, the following zoological parks maintain Ctenosaura bakeri in their exhibits.[14]

Institution Male(s) Female(s) Unknown Born in the last year
Barcelona Zoo 0 0 2 0
Blackpool Zoo 1 1 0 0
Cotswold Wildlife Park 0 0 1 0
Chester Zoo 1 1 0 0
Zoo d'Amnéville 1 0 0 0
Durrell Wildlife Park
 1 2 3 0
London Zoo 1 1 3 3
Paignton Zoo 0 0 1 0
Plock
Zoo		 1 0 2 4
Rotterdam Zoo
 2 3 0 0
Museum of Natural History of Tournai 1 0 0 0
Whipsnade Zoo 1 2 13 13
European Subtotal 10 10 24 20
Fort Worth Zoo 4 1 2 0
Fresno Chaffee Zoo 0 1 2 0
US Subtotal 4 2 4 0
Totals 14 12 28 20

References

  1. ^
    doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-1.RLTS.T44181A125203850.en
    . Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  2. ^ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
  3. ^ "Ctenosaura bakeri ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Gutsche, Alexander (2005). "Distribution and Habitat Utilization of Ctenosaura bakeri on Utila". Iguana. 12 (3): 143.
  5. ^ a b c d e Gutsche A, Köhler G (2004). "A fertile hybrid between Ctenosaura similis (GRAY 1831) and C. bakeri STEJNEGER 1901 (Squamata: Iguanidae) on Isla de Utila, Honduras". Salamandra. 40 (3/4): 201–206.
  6. ^ a b Dirksen L, Gutsche A (2006). "Beobachtungen zur Saurophagie bei Ctenosaura bakeri (Squamata: Iguanidae)". Elaphe. 14 (3): 51–52.
  7. ^
    London Telegraph
    . Retrieved 2008-09-07.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g Malfatti, Mark (2007). "A Look at the Genus Ctenosaura: Meet the World's fastest lizard and its kin". Reptiles Magazine. 15 (11): 64–73.
  9. doi:10.5479/si.00963801.1217.467
    .
  10. ^ Schulte U (2007). "Beobachtungen zur Hybridisierung zwischen Ctenosaura similis (GRAY 1831) und Ctenosaura bakeri STEJNEGER 1901 auf Utila, Honduras". Elaphe. 15 (1): 55–59.
  11. ^ a b Binns, John (2003). "Taxon Reports Ctenosaura bakeri ". Iguana Specialist Group Newsletter. 6 (1). San Diego, California: Zoological Society of San Diego. Archived from the original on May 9, 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-04.
  12. ^ a b Burgess, Rachel; Fiallos, Maria (2003-03-31). "Utila For Sale: Where will the Iguanas Go?". Honduras This Week. Archived from the original on June 21, 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-04.
  13. ISBN 0-520-23854-0
    .
  14. International Species Information System
    . 2008-08-21. Retrieved 2008-09-05.

Further reading

External links

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