| Ctenosaura similis | |
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| In Belize | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Iguania |
| Family: | Iguanidae |
| Genus: | Ctenosaura |
| Species: | C. similis |
| Binomial name | |
| Ctenosaura similis (Gray, 1831) | |
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| Synonyms | |
Ctenosaura similis, commonly known as theblack iguana[3] orblack spiny-tailed iguana, is aniguanid lizard native toMexico and Central America. It has been reported in someColombian islands in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean, and has beenintroduced to theUnited States in the state ofFlorida. The largestspecies in the genusCtenosaura, it is commonly found in areas such asgrasslands and forests.
C. similis was first described by BritishzoologistJohn Edward Gray in 1831.[4] Thegeneric name—Ctenosaura—is derived from twoGreek words:ctenos (Κτενός), meaning "comb" (referring to the comblike spines on the lizard's back and tail), andsaura (σαύρα), meaning "lizard".[5] Thespecific name—similis—is aLatin word meaning "similar to", a common description found inLinnaean taxonomy when referring to a newtaxon.[6]
C. similis has distinctive black, keeledscales on its tail, which gives it its common name.[7] It is the largest member of the genusCtenosaura.[citation needed] The males are capable of growing up to 1.3 meters (4 ft 3 in) in length and the females are slightly shorter, at 0.8–1 meter (2 ft 7 in – 3 ft 3 in).[5] They have a crest of long spines which extends down the center of the back.[7] Although coloration varies extremely among individuals of the same population, adults usually have a whitish gray or tan ground color with a series of 4–12 well-defined dark dorsal bands that extend nearly to the ventral scales.[7] Males also develop an orange color around the head and throat during breeding season with highlights of blue and peach on their jowls.[5][7]
Black spiny-tailed iguanas are excellent climbers, and prefer a rocky habitat with plenty of crevices to hide in, rocks to bask on, and nearby trees to climb.[5] They arediurnal and fast moving, employing their speed to escape predators but will lash with their tails and bite if cornered.[5] TheGuinness Book of World Records lists this as the world's fastest lizard, with a maximal sprint speed of 34.6 kilometres per hour (21.5 mph).[5][8]
They are primarilyherbivorous, eating flowers, leaves, stems, and fruit, but they will opportunistically eat smaller animals (rodents,bats,frogs, smallbirds and smaller iguanas), eggs andarthropods.[5][9] Juveniles tend to beinsectivores, becoming moreherbivorous as they get older.[10] They are known to eat the fruit and live in the limbs of themanchineel, a tree highly poisonous to most other animals.[11] González-García et al. 2009 find thatabundance is highly dependent on 3 dimensional structure of landscape, tall vegetation not merely short grass.[12]
The black spiny-tailed iguana is native to southernMexico andCentral America, ranging from theIsthmus of Tehuantepec southward toPanama, occurring at sea level to ca. 1,320 meters elevation, but it is absent from interior highlands.[13] Its distribution is irregular and discontinuous on the Atlantic versant where it ranges through portions ofTabasco, northernChiapas,Campeche,Yucatan, andQuintana Roo in Mexico, much ofBelize,Guatemala,[14][15] and the northern coast ofHonduras (often following rivers into interior valleys and canyons),[16] but with only a few isolated and disjunct records southward in easternNicaragua,Costa Rica, and Panama.[13][17] On the Pacific coast its distribution is continuous from extreme southeastOaxaca and southern Chiapas, Mexico, south through Guatemala,El Salvador,[18] Honduras,[16] Nicaragua, Costa Rica,[17] to theAzuero Peninsula in Panama.[13][19]
It is also found on many Caribbean and Pacific islands including:Isla Aguada,Isla Contoy,Cozumel, andIsla Mujeres in Mexico;[15][20]Ambergris Caye,Glover's Reef,Half Moon Caye, Belize;[15]Isla de Utila,Guanaja,Roatán, and the islands in theGolfo de Fonseca, Honduras;[16][20][21] Isla de Maíz Grande (Corn Islands) Nicaragua;[17][20]Coiba Island[19] andIsla del Rey, Panamá;[20]Isla San Andrés andProvidencia, Colombia.[17][20][22][23] Its status on a few of these islands, as a native or invasive species is questionable. Some herpetologist presume dispersal to the Islas San Andrés and Providencia, Colombia occurred in theQuaternary,[23] while another suspects these and some other insular populations are "likely" human introductions.[16] It has been introduced and is now established in southern Florida, a few islands in theBahamas,Malpelo Island, Colombia,[16] andVenezuela.[24]
The black spiny-tailed iguana has been introduced to SouthFlorida and reproduces in the wild in severalferal populations. On the southwesternFlorida coast, it has been discovered fromCollier County north toTampa Bay.[25][26][27] On the southeasternFlorida coast, black spiny-tailed iguanas have been found onKey Biscayne,Hialeah, and inBroward County. As this species will opportunistically feed on smallvertebrates, such asfish,rodents,eggs,birds, and even hatchlingsea turtles it may pose a threat to endangered native species.[26] These iguanas can thrive in both natural and disturbed areas, making them even more of a threat to native species[28]
Mating generally occurs in the beginning of the dry season. Males court females and show interest with low amplitude head bobbing and flick-licking the female. The female, when receptive, will allow mating with a large male. Females may violently reject forced-copulation attempts. Within eight to ten weeks, females will travel to a communal nesting site. There they, and other females, repeatedly visit nest openings, eventually laying clutches of up to 30eggs.[5] The eggs hatch in 90 days with the hatchlings digging their way out of the sand.[5] These juveniles are typically green with brown markings, although all brown hatchlings have been recorded as well.[7] Juveniles become reproductively mature around 2–3 years old.[29]
In some parts of Central America, the black spiny-tailed iguana, colloquially called the "chicken of the trees," is farmed alongside thegreen iguana as a food source and for export for the pet trade[5] (seeiguana meat). Although it is heavily hunted it does not appear to be endangered in any of its native territory.
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Media related toCtenosaura similis at Wikimedia Commons
Data related toCtenosaura similis at Wikispecies
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