The Life of Animals | Turks and Caicos Rock Iguana | The Turks and Caicos rock iguana (Cyclura carinata) is a critically endangered species of lizard of the genus Cyclura That is endemic to the Turks and Caicos islands. Turks and Caicos rock iguanas has 50.000, the healthiest population of rock iguanas in the Caribbean. The Turks and Caicos rock iguana, Cyclura carinata carinata, was first described by American zoologist Richard Harlan in Fauna Americana in 1825 Its generic name (Cyclura) is derived from the Ancient Greek Cyclos (κύκλος) meaning "circular" and Oura (οὐρά) meaning "tail", after the thick-ringed tail
characteristic of all Cyclura carinata Its specific name means "keeled" and refers to the animal's scales. The species is endemic to 50-60 of the 200 islands and cays That make up the Turks and Caicos Islands It has one subspecies the which lives on Booby Cay, Bartsch's iguana (Cyclura carinata bartschi). The Turks and Caicos rock iguana dwells in rocky areas and sandy habitats as sand is required for nesting. Like all Cyclura species, the Turks and Caicos rock iguana is primarily herbivorous, consuming leaves, flowers, and fruits from over 58 different plant species This diet is very rarely supplemented with Insects, mollusks, crustaceans, arachnids, lizards, and carrion It has been That noted in captivity, it eats Both animal and plant food.
Little Water Cay is now a nature reserve and Neither dogs nor cats are permitted on the island to Ensure the survival of the critically endangered species In 2000 Scientists from the San Diego Zoo's Division of Conservation and Research for Endangered Species (CRES), under the direction of Conservation Research Fellow Dr. Glenn Gerber 218 translocated iguanas from Big Ambergris Cay and Little Water were the resource persons where Their Populations Threatened to four uninhabited cays within the Turks and Caicos reserve system.
Legislation to protect the iguanas has been Drafted by the Turks and Caicos government in 2003 Additionally, the National Trust for the Turks and Caicos Islands has stewardship for the Little Water Cay to Ensure That it is not mismanaged and has initiated a program to remove feral cats from Pine Cay and Water Cay
