Island Adventures

I went on a mission today to find the highly Endangered Grand Cayman Blue Iguana. In 2002, there were left than 20 left in the world. The Cayman Island wildlife conservation fund started a massive recovery program, that has allowed them to release over 40 iguanas back in the wild at the Queen Elizabeth II Botanical Gardens. Now there are over 219 captive-bred blues. It's not mating season for the lizards right now, but they become bright blue during the season.

I was able to spot 2 blues today. The first one was hidden in a forest-like area, but came out of the woods and perched himself in the middle of the trail as if he was staking his ground. He was massive! I'm talking about a 4 foot long lizard (tail included) that wouldn't budge out of the walkway. His blue coloring wasn't too obvious, except for on his face. It looks like the blue color will be more pronounced after he sheds his skin.

The second one I spotted was perched up in a tree about 7 ft high. He appeared more blue than the first. He, too, needed a good shedding. His coat shimmered in the sun and reflected the blue from the sky. I can definitely see why the caymans love these lizards.