Description:
Scientific name: Ctenosaura bakeri
Life span: 20-25 years
The critically endangered Utila spiny-tailed iguana, also known as Baker’s spinytail iguana, swamper, or wishiwilly del suampo, is a type of spinytail iguana. The only species of spiny-tail iguana with such a dark color when young is the Utila iguana, which is gray-brown to nearly black in color. Some members of the genus are initially green or yellow in color before darkening with age. Depending on the heat, or even just the animal’s temperament, the hue of this animal as it matures can be either blue or light gray.
Native Region/Habitat
Ctenosaura bakeri lives in mangrove forests of 8 square kilometers on the island of Utila, off the coast of northern Honduras. It is thought that C. bakeri, which is unusual among iguanids and uncommon among reptiles, was forced into the mangrove swamps as a result of competition with the bigger, more aggressive C. similis, which usually lives in the drier habitats on Utila.
Behavior:
Due to competition with the bigger, more aggressive C. similis, which usually lives in the drier habitats on Utila, C. bakeri was forced into the mangrove swamps. Ctenosaura bakeri, like the majority of iguanids, prefers to eat flowers, leaves, stems, and fruit. However, they will occasionally consume smaller animals, eggs, and arthropods that live in the mangroves.
Care As a pet/In captivity:
The only place in the world where the Utila island spiny-tailed iguana may be found in the wild is the island of Utila, which is off the coast of Honduras. It is prohibited to keep endangered species as pets, and there is no information available about the conditions of captivity.
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