page_title: Lesser Antillean iguana
section_title: Conservation
hierarchical_section_title: Lesser Antillean iguana / Conservation
caption_attribution_description: Iguana delicatissima Laurenti, 1768 English: Wild Lesser Antillean Iguana at Coulibistrie, Dominica, W.I. Français&#160;: Un Iguane des Petites Antilles. photo prise à Coulibistrie, en Dominique.
context_page_description: The Lesser Antillean iguana is a large arboreal lizard endemic to the Lesser Antilles. It is one of three species of lizard of the genus Iguana and is in severe decline due to habitat destruction, introduced feral predators, hunting, and hybridization with its introduced sister species, the green iguana. Successful captive breeding of this species has been limited to only two instances, as most captive-laid eggs tend to be infertile.
  Other common names for it are Lesser Antillean green iguana or West Indian iguana.
context_section_description: The Lesser Antillean iguana is a critically endangered species and is found on the IUCN Red List. The Lesser Antillean iguana is legally protected from hunting throughout its range, but enforcement of these regulations is extremely difficult and therefore limited. Other threats include habitat loss to agriculture and development and the introduction of feral predators such as dogs, cats, and mongooses.
  The species' greatest threat is from its own relative. The green iguana has been introduced to the Lesser Antilles as an invasive species and directly competes with the Lesser Antillean iguana for food and resources. In addition, the green iguana has been interbreeding with the Lesser Antillean iguana and this hybridization has been the number one reason for the latter species' decline on at least three of the islands: Les Iles des Saintes, Basse Terre (Guadeloupe) and St. Barthélemy. After a group of green iguanas washed ashore after hurricane Luis in 1995 on the island of Saint Martin, the endemic Lesser Antillean iguana population was gone within twenty years.
  Captive Lesser Antillean iguanas are currently kept at the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, the Chester Zoo, the Memphis Zoo, and the San Diego Zoo's Center for Reproduction of Endangered Species. All individuals originate from the Commonwealth of Dominica. Breeding and keeping the species in captivity is difficult. Mating and egg laying have occurred at each institution, but most of the eggs have been infertile; however, a single individual was successfully hatched at the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust in 1997 and in 2000 eight iguanas were hatched. Following on from this success, 11 iguanas hatched at Durrell in 2016 and they will be sent to zoos across Europe in an effort to promote and support the urgent conservation work for this species. In 2018 four captured iguanas from Sint Eustatius were sent to Blijdorp zoo in Rotterdam, The Netherlands for a breeding programme.
caption: A Lesser Antillean iguana in Dominica
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