Rescuing “Neon Dragons” – Support for Endangered Fiji Iguanas
They don’t fly or breathe fire. But brightly colored Fiji iguanas do look like tiny, scaly creatures from a fanciful medieval legend. It’s no wonder one researcher described these endangered iguanas as resembling “neon-colored dragons.”
By Eston Ellis Photography by Tammy Spratt
Unlike storybook dragons, Fiji iguanas
are mellow creatures that have no fear of humans and will sit on an
outstretched hand or atop a shoulder—but they would rather be in a tree.
They spend their days in the canopy of wet and dry forests on the
islands of Fiji, where they enjoy munching on leaves, buds, fruit, and
flowers—especially vau, or tree hibiscus. And they rarely leave the trees, except to lay eggs or seek shelter during a tropical storm.
Despite their fondness for a lush arboreal life, Fiji iguanas’ closest
relatives are the sand-colored desert iguanas found more than 5,500
miles away, in Southern California and Northern Mexico. How iguanas got
to Fiji is anybody’s guess, but many researchers believe they arrived
millions of years ago, before the islands of Fiji broke away from a
larger prehistoric supercontinent.
Found nowhere else but on the islands
of Fiji and Tonga, Fiji iguanas can perfectly balance on leaves and
twigs as they make their way along the forest canopy—and their vivid
green skin color, sometimes accented by white or blue bands, helps them
blend into the surrounding vegetation. But they can’t run or hide from
the increasing threats to their survival, including invasive species
such as feral cats, rats, cane toads, and mongooses.
On some islands,
feral goats are eating the vegetation iguanas feed on. And
deforestation—from agriculture and increasing development—is destroying
much of their remaining habitat. Fiji iguanas are also vulnerable to
poaching for the international exotic pet trade. Smuggling attempts have
ranged from the brazen to the bizarre: one man charged with smuggling
was caught taking iguanas out of Fiji by concealing them inside a hollow
prosthetic leg…
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