Rhinoceros Iguana

The Rhinoceros Iguana, Cyclura cornuta, is a medium-sized iguana that is found primarily on the Caribbean Islands. They are native to Haiti and the Dominican Republic. These are a threatened species and are prohibited in the pet trade. There are an estimated ten to sixteen thousand rhinoceros iguanas left in the wild. Their destruction is most likely caused by the introduction of unnatural predators such as dogs and feral cats.

They vary in length from 2 to 4 1/2 feet and skin colors range from a steely gray to a dark green and even brown. Their name derives from the fact that the reptiles possess a bony-plated pseudo-horn or outgrowth which resembles the horn of a rhinoceros. Their diet often consists of insects, and fleshy fruit. However, Rhinoceros Iguanas have been known to eat small lizards, snakes, and leaf matter. They also consume as a favored food, bird eggs.

Rhinoceros Iguanas are territorial and have distinct territories in which the largest and most aggressive male will be the dominant male, and will afterwards have the largest range of territory.