NEXT UP: The Sister Isle Rock Iguanas Need Their Own Day! by Elaine A. Powers, Author

May 8th was designated for the first time this year as International Blue Iguana Day, to celebrate the increase in the numbers of the native blue iguanas on the island of Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands. Due to the efforts of many to save the blues, we have cause to celebrate.

Even though I volunteered for and supported the blue iguana recovery program, most of my iguana research in the Cayman Islands was on with the Sister Isle Rock Iguana on Cayman Brac and Little Cayman. The SIRI is the second endemic iguana species in this country. I confess that when I read about the blue iguana celebration, I thought, ‘When will we have one for the SIRIs?’ Even though SIRIs aren’t the attractive, bright blue of the iguanas on Grand Cayman, they are amazing and ecologically important in their own right.

The SIRIs need their own international day to increase awareness that their numbers are declining at an alarming rate, and research is needed to save them. Known reasons for their decline are:

1. Many hatchlings are killed by domestic pets allowed to roam free.  There were years when no young iguanas were seen.
2. Adults are killed on the roads where they bask on the warm pavement, only to run over by drivers not willing to slow down, or intentionally by drivers who enjoy the crunch under their wheels.
3. The Sister Islands are made up of limestone karst. Iguanas need sandy areas to build their nesting dens to lay their eggs. Unfortunately, two of the best nesting sites have recently been destroyed by construction. After all, they are nice flat spots.
4. Some people are afraid of the large lizards, although they are herbivores and are not interested in people.  They have an excellent disposition for co-habitating with people. It’s a shame people don’t realize their importance.

School classes occasionally came out to see our conservation work at one of the parks that has excellent iguana habitat. One student said, “What good are the iguanas? If they all disappeared, who would care?”

We know the answers to those questions. Iguanas are very important to the plants of the island because:

1. They are the top herbivore on the island, trimming and maintaining proper plant growth.
2. More importantly, iguanas eat and disperse the plant seeds, taking them to new locations as they traverse the island.
3. Seeds passing through iguanas’ gut have a higher germination rate than those that don’t.
4. Amazingly, iguanas eat manchineel, which is incredibly toxic to humans.
5. Without the iguanas, the plant health and plant diversity of the islands would be severely impacted. People wouldn’t find the resulting island a very desirable place to live and visit.
6. And, of course, without the plants, the animals of the islands can’t survive.

I was encouraged by the attitudes of people we met during a survey when we were capturing iguanas to measure them and give them microchips. Several locals stopped and challenged us about what we were doing to their iguanas. We told them about our conservation research, and they have become part of the effort to protect the SIRIs.

I dream of the day when we will be celebrating International Sister Isle Rock Iguana Day.

Book Note: I’ve written a couple of books to help educate about the dangers to the Sister Isle Rock iguanas, Silent Rocks and The Dragon of Nani Cave. Silent Rocks can be used to teach about conservation efforts in general, and The Dragon of Nani Cave can be used to teach about island ecology, and has coordinated activity sheets and workbooks available for teaching:

KEEP THE FUN GOING!
COORDINATING WORKBOOKS AND
ACTIVITY SHEETS AVAILABLE AT
OUR WORKBOOKS TAB:

MY  READING BOOK AND COLORING PAGES FOR THE DRAGON OF NANI CAVE

MY UNIT STUDY ON IGUANAS

MY BOOK ABOUT BATS AND RATS

NINE PLANTS OF THE CAYMAN ISLANDS

FIVE WAYS TO PROTECT CAYMAN BRAC WILDLIFE COLORING BOOK

MY PASSPORT TO THE CAYMAN ISLANDS

ANIMALS OF NANI CAVE AND
CAYMAN BRAC COLORING PAGES

ANIMALS OF CAYMAN BRAC

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