Cyclura cornuta onchiopsis

Cyclura cornuta onchiopsis

Navassa island iguana

SUBSPECIES OF

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SPECIES
Cyclura cornuta onchiopsis

Cyclura cornuta onchiopsis, the Navassa Island iguana, was a subspecies of rhinoceros iguana that was found on the Caribbean island of Navassa.

Appearance

These lizards varied in length from 60 to 136 cm (24 to 54 in), with skin colors ranging from a steely gray to a dark green and even brown, and possessed a bony-plated pseudo-horn or outgrowth which resembled the horn of a rhinoceros.

Geography

Population

Population number

Navassa Island was visited in 1966 and 1967 and no animals were present. An entomologist visited the island again in 1986 and saw no signs of any iguanas, although he was not specifically looking for them. An extensive search again in 1999 failed to find any iguanas. Military occupation of the island prior to the 1960s may have been responsible for its demise, or years of mining guano for fertilizer; the introduction of feral dogs, goats, and rats may have also been to blame. Dr Robert Powell's research while at the Department of Natural Sciences, Avila College, Kansas City, Missouri, suggests that the iguanas disappeared before the introduction of feral species, as a result of habitat change or hunting by man. Noted herpetoculturist David Blair maintains that some of these animals may remain in captivity somewhere in the world, but admits they would be very aged specimens.

References

1. Cyclura cornuta onchiopsis Wikipedia article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclura_cornuta_onchiopsis

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