Rhinoceros Iguana (Cyclura cornuta) Familie: Iguanas (Iguanidae) Orden: Squamates or Scaly Reptiles (Squamata).

Size:  Up to about 1,20 m. Large males weigh between 6 and 10 kg. Distribution:  Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic) and nearby islands. Habitat:  Most common in arid or semiarid forest and scrub in lowland limestone areas up to 400 m asl., often near the coast and with a yearly rainfall of 470-1000 mm and an average temperature of about 25 degrees C. The species is relatively adaptable to habitat alterations. Food:  Mainly plant material (leaves, flowers, fruit), but also insects, eggs, and smaller animals. Reproduction:  The breeding season, which starts at the same time as the rainy season in April, lasts 2-3 weeks, and in June-August the female lays 5-20 eggs in a burrow. The eggs hatch 3-6 months later, and the hatchlings measure 21-32 g and weigh about 50 g. Maturity is reached after 5-9 years. Activity and behaviour:  Diurnal. Regulates the body temperature by basking in the sun. Adult males are territorial, and the strongest males get the territories with the best feeding opportunities. It digs burrows up to 4 m deep. Enemies:  Apart from man, who hunts adult and subadult iguanas illegally, the animals are taken by dogs, cats, mongooses and pigs. Longevity:  May become 20 years in captivity, but in the wild, its lifespan is undoubtedly shorter. Sexual dimorphism:  The 3-5 "horns" (enlarged scales) on the snout are largest in males. Females are slightly smaller than males. Variation:  The Mona Island Ground Iguana (C. stejnegeri) and the Navassa Island Ground Iguana (C. onchiopsis, now extinct), which previously were regarded as subspecies (races) of the rhinoceros iguana, are now considered separate species. Status:  Listed in CITES I. The species was relatively common and widely distributed as late as the 1950's, but there is no recent research estimating the size of the current population, although its is believed to consist of 10.-17.000 animals, distributed in presumably about 20, possibly more populations around Hispaniola. The decline has been significant, due to habitat loss. The long reproduction cycle and thereby following slow exchange in populations is also thought to have contributed to the decline. In the Dominican Republic, 35% of the habitats have been lost, and of the remaining areas about 75% are disturbed by human activity. These figures are even higher in Haiti. In the Dominican Republic, the species is protected by legislation, and most populations are, at least partially, protected as they are within national parks or other nature reserves. Such a protection does not exist in Haiti, and the future of the species there is uncertain. International trade is controlled in the Dominican Republic by CITES, but there is no similar control in Haiti. Notes:  Our two iguanas were bred in Chester Zoo in England. References: Iguana Specialist Group (formerly the West Indian Iguana Specialist Group). www.iucn-isg.org/actionplan/ch2/rhinocerous.php Pianka, E.R. & Vitt, L.J. 2003. Lizards - windows to the evolution of diversity. University of California Press, Berkeley & Los Angeles. 333 pp. Schwartz, A. & Henderson, R.W. 1991. Amphibians and reptiles of the West Indies: descriptions, distributions, and natural history. University of Florida Press, Gainesville, Florida. 720 pp. Text & layout: Rune Midtgaard

Gallery Home A fully grown rhonoceros iguana is an impressive sight, which reminds you of the dinosaurs that once ruled the earth. © Rune Midtgaard.