Blue Iguana Back from the Brink: Big Pic

July 21, 2011 -- This Grand Cayman blue iguana may have extinction beat, thanks to the island's Blue Iguana Recovery Program. The program has successfully released into the wild more than 500 of the reptiles after breeding them in captivity.

That’s an increase of almost 56 iguanas a year since the population was counted at 25 in 2002, but they are not stopping there. According to a press release from the program, the aim is to reach 1,000 reptiles in a few years.

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The success wasn’t as simple as breeding. After hatching at a breeding facility, where each iguana stays for at least a year, it receives a check-up and gets tagged. Before it’s released, experts make sure the iguana is healthy to give it the best possible chance of survival.

The blue iguana population on Grand Cayman has been decimated by a combination of habitat destruction, predators, like dogs, and being run over by vehicles. To avoid a repeat, this year the recovery program is releasing the iguanas into a protected area that is managed by the island’s National Trust.

The blue iguana got its name from its ability to change the color of its skin to different shades of blue. When resting, it’s a blue-gray color, and when excited, only the front half of its body turns turquoise blue.

Males and females turn different colors. During mating season the males become electric blue and the females turn powder blue.

On average, it takes two to three months for blue iguana eggs to hatch. When fully grown, an iguana can reach five feet in length and weigh 20 pounds. Like all iguanas, blue iguanas are model vegetarians, eating plants and fruit only.

by Yasmine Gazelle Temraz

Image credit: The Wildlife Conservation Society