Demography and Endangerment of the Utila Island Spiny-Tailed Iguana, Ctenosaura bakeri

We studied the population biology of the Spiny-Tailed Iguana (Ctenosaura bakeri) endemic to the Honduran island of Utila and previously assumed to be close to extinction. Here, for the first time, we present a comprehensive mapping of its overall distribution and nesting area. The total range of C....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of herpetology 2009-03, Vol.43 (1), p.105-113
Main Authors: Gutsche, Alexander, Streich, Wolf Jürgen
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bayous
Bays
Conservation
Conservation biology
Conservation education
Ctenosaura
Dry seasons
Habitat conservation
Iguana
Iguanas
Nesting sites
Population estimates
Rainy seasons
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Summary:We studied the population biology of the Spiny-Tailed Iguana (Ctenosaura bakeri) endemic to the Honduran island of Utila and previously assumed to be close to extinction. Here, for the first time, we present a comprehensive mapping of its overall distribution and nesting area. The total range of C. bakeri comprised about 1,091 ha of mangrove swamp. Nesting sites were restricted to 109 ha of sandy coastal territory. We used two closed capture-recapture models to estimate adult population densities at 35–78 and 72–114 adults/ha within three mangrove areas, respectively. Population densities were largely related to the presence of suitable retreats. Population estimates for the entire mangrove habitat based on these mean adult densities ranged from 57,823–93,826 individuals, far higher than earlier reports have suggested. Also, no evidence was found for an unbalanced demographic structure. About 27% of all iguanas captured were juveniles (
ISSN:0022-1511
1937-2418
DOI:10.1670/07-248R2.1