The potential ecological and economic impacts of the common Green Iguana have been reported for Florida and the Lesser Antilles. The giant lizards have been regarded as a nuisance species but some regard the lizard as a pest because of the extensive damage they cause to residential and commercial landscape vegetation. They dig burrows for refugia and nesting that results in erosion that undermines sidewalks, foundations, canal banks, seawalls, and other infrastructure. Also, many home-owners despise iguanas because of the unsightly and unhygienic waste they leave on moored boats, docks, porches, decks, swimming pools, and yards. López-Torres et al. (2011) found population densities of Iguana iguana in Puerto Rico reached 223 individuals ha-1, a density higher than any other known locality in its native range, and showed fluctuations related to seasonality. Their 2008–2009 observations at the nesting sites document that this population of I. iguana is a reproductively successful species, producing more than 100 egg clutches and 2,558 eggs with a 91.4% egg viability.
In Puerto Rico, the Green Iguana is an introduced and invasive species responsible for annual losses estimated in the millions of dollars. In a new study, Gomez et al. (2020) used GAP analyses to generate habitat distribution models for Green Iguanas in Puerto Rico. The two models had 79.7% and 88.4% predictability, respectively. The second model, which included road corridors because it is a habitat used by iguanas for dispersal, basking, and mating displays. This may have overestimated the Green Iguana’s distribution. The use of one model over the other should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, depending on habitat type. They produced habitat modeling and maps in an effort to provide information that can be used to control the lizards.
Literature
Gómez CA, Joglar RL, Solórzano M, Gould W. A Distribution Model for the Green Iguana, Iguana iguana (Linnaeus, 1758)(Reptilia: Iguanidae), in Puerto Rico. LEB Life: The Excitement of Biology. 2020;7(4):181-96.
López-Torres AL, Claudio-Hernández HJ, Rodriguez-Gomez CA, Longo AV, Joglar RL. Green Iguanas (Iguana iguana) in Puerto Rico: is it time for management?. Biological invasions. 2012 Jan 1;14(1):35-45.
