Fauna of the Cayman Islands

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Blue iguana Blue iguana (Cyclura lewisi) male.JPG
Blue iguana

The Fauna of the Cayman Islands include species unique to the islands, including the blue iguana, also known as the Grand Cayman iguana (Cyclura lewisi) . [1]

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Cayman Islands British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean

The Cayman Islands is a self-governing British Overseas Territory in the western Caribbean Sea. The 264-square-kilometre (102-square-mile) territory comprises the three islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, which are located to the south of Cuba and northeast of Honduras, between Jamaica and Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula. The capital city is George Town on Grand Cayman, which is the most populous of the three islands.

Caribbean Sea A sea of the Atlantic Ocean bounded by North, Central and South America

The Caribbean Sea is an American mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and south west, to the north by the Greater Antilles starting with Cuba, to the east by the Lesser Antilles, and to the south by the north coast of South America.

Grand Cayman Island in the Caribbean

Grand Cayman is the largest of the three Cayman Islands and the location of the territory's capital, George Town. In relation to the other two Cayman Islands, it is approximately 75 miles (121 km) southwest of Little Cayman and 90 miles (145 km) southwest of Cayman Brac.

Iguanidae Family of lizards

The Iguanidae are a family of lizards composed of iguanas and related species. This family consists of species such as the Green Iguana, the Lesser Antillean Iguana, and marine iguana, just to name a few.

Little Cayman

Little Cayman is one of three Islands comprising the Cayman Islands. It is located in the Caribbean Sea, approximately 60 miles (96 km) northeast of Grand Cayman and five miles (8 km) west of Cayman Brac. Little Cayman is by far the least populous, with a permanent population of about 250 including seasonal residents/homeowners (pre-COVID) and at present around 175 residents. The majority of the population are expatriate workers from Jamaica, the Philippines, and Honduras and from other Latin American countries as well as Canada, the USA, India, Australia, Scotland, England, and South Africa. There are a handful of local Caymanians estimated as fewer than 35. It is about 10 miles (16 km) long with an average width of 1 mile (1600 m) and most of the island is undeveloped. Almost the entire island is at sea level. The highest elevation is about 40 feet.

Cayman Brac

Cayman Brac is an island that is part of the Cayman Islands. It lies in the Caribbean Sea about 145 km (90 mi) north-east of Grand Cayman and 8 km (5.0 mi) east of Little Cayman. It is about 19 km (12 mi) long, with an average width of 2 km (1.2 mi). Its terrain is the most prominent of the three Cayman Islands due to "The Bluff", a limestone outcrop that rises steadily along the length of the island up to 43 m (141 ft) above sea level at the eastern end. The island is named after this prominent feature, as "brac" is a Gaelic name for a bluff.

Lesser Antillean iguana Species of reptile

The Lesser Antillean iguana is a large arboreal lizard endemic to the Lesser Antilles. It is one of three species of lizard of the genus Iguana and is in severe decline due to habitat destruction, introduced feral predators, hunting, and hybridization with its introduced sister species, the green iguana. Successful captive breeding of this species has been limited to only two instances, as most captive-laid eggs tend to be infertile.

Blue iguana Species of reptile

The blue iguana, also known as the Grand Cayman ground iguana, Grand Cayman blue iguana or Cayman Island rock iguana, is an endangered species of lizard which is endemic to the island of Grand Cayman. It was previously considered to be a subspecies of the Cuban iguana, Cyclura nubila, but in a 2004 article Frederic J. Burton reclassified it as a separate species because according to him the genetic differences discovered four years earlier between the different C. nubila populations warranted this interpretation. The blue iguana is one of the longest-living species of lizard.

Mona ground iguana Species of Cyclura closely related to the rhinoceros iguana

The Mona ground iguana is a rock iguana that is a subspecies of the rhinoceros iguana. It is endemic to Mona Island, Puerto Rico and is the largest native terrestrial lizard in Puerto Rico.

Española Island Island in Ecuador

Española Island is part of the Galápagos Islands. The English named it Hood Island after Viscount Samuel Hood. It is located in the extreme southeast of the archipelago and is considered, along with Santa Fe, one of the oldest, at approximately four million years. A popular tourist stop, Isla Española is the most southerly island in the Galápagos Archipelago. The climate is very dry, like most of the Archipelago. But due to the flatness of the island, it is the driest of these islands, with only a few inches of rain per year. It is about a 10- to 12-hour trip by boat from Isla Santa Cruz.

Northern Bahamian rock iguana Species of lizard

The northern Bahamian rock iguana is a species of lizard of the genus Cyclura that is found on Andros Island and the Exuma islands in the Bahamas. Its status on the IUCN Red List is vulnerable, with a wild population of less than 5,000 animals.

<i>Cyclura nubila</i> Species of reptile

The Cuban rock iguana, also known as the Cuban ground iguana or Cuban iguana, is a species of lizard of the iguana family. It is the second largest of the West Indian rock iguanas, one of the most endangered groups of lizards. A herbivorous species with red eyes, a thick tail, and spiked jowls, it is one of the largest lizards in the Caribbean.

<i>Cyclura nubila caymanensis</i> Subspecies of lizard

Cyclura nubila caymanensis, the Lesser Caymans iguana, Cayman Brac iguana, Cayman Island brown iguana or Sister Isles iguana, is a critically endangered subspecies of the Cuban iguana. It is native to two islands to the south of Cuba: Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, which are also known as the Sister Isles due to their similar shapes and close proximity to each other. This subspecies is in decline due to habitat encroachment by human development and predation by feral dogs and cats. It is nearly extinct on Cayman Brac where fewer than 100 animals live, while Little Cayman supports a population of about 1,500 animals.

The Caribbean bioregion is a biogeographic region that includes the islands of the Caribbean Sea and nearby Atlantic islands, which share a fauna, flora and mycobiota distinct from surrounding bioregions.

Rugby union in the Cayman Islands

Rugby union is a growing sport in the Cayman Islands. The Cayman Islands national rugby union team is ranked 62nd in the world, with 2,256 registered players.

<i>Cyclura</i> Genus of lizards

Cyclura is a genus of lizards in the family Iguanidae. Member species of this genus are commonly known as "cycluras" or more commonly as rock iguanas and only occur on islands in the West Indies. Rock iguanas have a high degree of endemism, with in most cases a single species or subspecies restricted to an individual island.

Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park

Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park is a non-profit outdoor garden and wildlife facility located in the North Side District of Grand Cayman Island in the British West Indies. The park is owned jointly by the Cayman Islands Government and the National Trust for the Cayman Islands, a group dedicated to preserving natural environments and places of historic significance in the Cayman Islands. Opened in 1994 with only the Woodland Trail completed, the park now also contains the Floral Colour Garden, a Cayman Heritage Garden, a lake, an orchid boardwalk exhibit, and a Blue Iguana Habitat. Also inside the park is a gift shop and a visitor's interpretive center, the starting point from which visitors can enter the Woodland Trail and other garden grounds.

Green iguana Species of reptile

The green iguana, also known as the American iguana or the common green iguana, is a large, arboreal, mostly herbivorous species of lizard of the genus Iguana. Usually, this animal is simply called the iguana. The green iguana ranges over a large geographic area; it is native from southern Brazil and Paraguay as far north as Mexico, and has been introduced from South America to Puerto Rico and is very common throughout the island, where it is colloquially known as gallina de palo and considered an invasive species; in the United States, feral populations also exist in South Florida, Hawaii, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Green iguanas have also successfully colonised the island of Anguilla, arriving on the island in 1995 after rafting across the Caribbean from Guadeloupe, where they were introduced.

<i>Agave caymanensis</i> Species of flowering plant

Agave caymanensis is a species of agave that is endemic to Grand Cayman, Little Cayman and Cayman Brac in the Cayman Islands. It can be found in dry shrubland at all elevations of the islands. A. caymanensis gradually forms a short trunk, that is clothed in dead leaves. It can reach heights of 4 m and widths of 3 m with a rosette of massive, succulent leaves rimmed with thorns. It is monocarpic, and flowering is quite synchronous. Young rock iguanas sometimes use the hollow core of dead flower spikes as a refuge. This species was previously confused with A. sobolifera until described by Proctor as a separate species in 2012.

Blue Iguana is an upcoming American comedy film directed by Jeremy LaLonde, from a screenplay written by Matthew Dressel. The film stars Joel David Moore, Bob Saget, Jason Jones, Carly Chaikin and Mary Lynn Rajskub.

References

  1. "Blue Iguana Recovery Program". Archived from the original on April 3, 2010. Retrieved July 1, 2013.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)