Arizona Docent

free roaming iguana

May 6, 2016. Spiny tailed iguana, a species that roams freely on the grounds.
To be more precize, it's the Mexican spiny-tailed iguana Ctenosaura pectinata which is doing quite well after being introduced to Texas, Arizona and Florida.
In it's native Mexican distribution it's not doing so well and even listed on the Mexican Red List as being threatened..... :( !
 
I overheard a docent telling a visitor that they are all tagged and monitored to ensure they do not leave the area and become an invasive species.
 
Ok but the animals in Texas and Florida are pure Mexicas or are these also hybrids ???
The populations all derive from different introductions.

Florida has both pectinata and similis: Nonnatives - Black Spinytail Iguana

Apparently most populations are similis according to http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/museum-voi...2014/05/2003_Townsend_et_al-FL_Ctenosaura.pdf

Texas has pectinata which appear to have been established with animals from the Gladys Porter Zoo. They are most common around the zoo grounds.
 

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