Cyclura ricordi

Hispaniola Iguana ( Cyclura ricordii )

The Hispaniola Iguana ( Cyclura ricordii ) lives endemic to the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. Similar to the popular Spanish name iguana de Ricord is the English and standard international species name Ricord 's Ground Iguana. This typical Iguana belongs to the genus Wirtelschwanzleguane ( Cyclura ).

Appearance

The Hispaniola Iguana can be over a meter long. Of this, at a head -body length of 49.5 cm in males and 43 cm in females, more than half the length of the tail. The tail is very strong, if not circular, as can be expected of the genus name. Adult males get two strong Stirnwülste, behind which a striking spiked comb begins. This spiked comb backwards towards ever smaller and eventually runs out of the tail. In order to distinguish them from the rhinoceros iguanas ( Cyclura cornuta ), with whom they share their area of ​​distribution, the pattern on the flanks approach can be drawn. Rhinoceros iguanas have no grain on the back. The Hispaniola Iguana does. Impressive also is the color of the eye: It can take a blood-red color. Also impressive is its weight. For males over 7 kg can also be difficult.

Occurrence and habitat

The habitat of Hispaniola Iguana is located in the dry forests of the island of Hispaniola. Within this ecosystem, it has an island-like distribution. There are currently four such islands or sub-populations are scientifically described. The stable is located on the island of Isla Cabritos in a salt-water lake, the Lago Enriquillo. This island is a national park and well protected due to their isolated location. The remaining populations are threatened against it. So reports the Grupo Jaragua, a Dominican conservation organization of more or less legitimate Try to make the last nesting sites of these reptiles arable. This problem is an acute threat to a population which is located near the settlement of La Florida on the southern shore of the salt lake. In better shape is the population in the vicinity of the village of Pedernales. There have been similar problems. However, you could be solved by more recent findings. A few kilometers away is on Haitian soil, the fourth and last known population. With only 9 known nests but it was significantly smaller than that of Pedernales, where you could count 300 nests last year. Characteristic of all four areas is a deep soil, which allows the animals to dig extensive caves and large nests.

Way of life

The heavy adult iguanas are much on the ground. They feed on fruits, seeds and other plant parts. In particular, younger specimens also take on small animals such as insects and spiders. They often hide in bushes, where they climb sent around. You can swim like most iguanas excellent. Whether they have to fear the crocodiles here that inhabit Lake Enriquillo, is not known. Young animals are captured from snakes, cats and birds of prey, adult iguanas have probably fear only the dog and the people, because they are still by the local people (illegally) hunted. In order to hide, they can dig meter deep caves. Their nests cover the iguanas with soil. A nest containing 11 eggs on average. What is striking is their preference for certain places where they can reach high population densities. The rhinoceros iguanas that are also present there, only reach about a tenth of the population density. For this, they have opened up rocky habitats for what it has enabled them to colonize the south of the island widely. This seems to Hispaniola iguanas much harder to fall.

Taxonomy

Duméril and Bibron describes the Hispaniola Iguana 1837 as Aloponotus ricordii. A native of Santo Domingo holotype is deposited under catalog number MNHN 8304 in the Muséum National d' Histoire naturelle in Paris. The Reptile Database lists five synonym descriptions: Hypsilophus ( Aloponotus ) ricordii Fitzinger, 1843; Aloponotus ricordii Cope, 1885; Cyclura ricordii Cochran, 1924; Cyclura ricordi Schwartz & Carey, 1977; Cyclura ricordi Schwartz & Henderson, 1991. The notation " ricordi ", with only one i is not correct, because the basis of a decision of the Nomenclature Commission in the original descriptions typical in the 19th century extensions of Dedikationsnamen of Double- i are valid exclusively. The appearance of Hispaniola Iguana corresponds to a typical land iguana. It possesses the characteristic of this family feature, rootless sitting on the inside of the lower teeth. The systematics of Wirtelschwanzleguane is discussed constantly and is not yet final.