美洲鬣蜥种

习性与行为

美洲鬣蜥为树栖动物，擅于攀爬与跳跃，游泳，移动速度快加上天然保护色故一般不会受到猛禽威胁，喜栖息于有水道湿地旁草丛杂树林地，以便遇到天敌可以快速掩蔽逃窜，当遇到人类靠近时会试图上下摆动头部以威吓。如果示威对侵略者没用，美洲鬣蜥会迅速逃离。

繁殖期

成熟的雄性美洲鬣蜥，在繁殖期时，体色会变得鲜艳，呈橘红色。母蜥和公蜥大概在晚冬时期交配，在早春时产卵。母蜥准备产卵时，会不断的寻找下蛋的地点，并大量饮用水。

美洲鬣蜥与禽龙

首次发现禽龙化石（为一牙齿）的曼提尔医生以为，其发现的是鬣蜥的牙齿，所以把禽龙命名为Iguanodon。

生态危害

台湾

因为人为引进做为宠物饲养及不当野放，农业委员会林务局在2020年公告为“有害生态环境、人畜安全之虞之原非我国原生种陆域野生动物之种类”，主要危害为农作物。后续屏东县政府对于这一问题采取了积极的应对措施，以减少其对农业的影响和保护当地生态。2020年9月开始到11月30日止，饲养美洲鬣蜥须先行登记，否则将依《野生动物保育法》罚1万至5万元；而2020年11月30日后截止登记逾期未登记者将成为非法持有，可处新台币1万至5万元，并没入动物。

The green iguana (Iguana iguana), also known as the American iguana or the common green iguana, is a large, arboreal, mostly herbivorous species of lizard of the genus Iguana. Usually, this animal is simply called the iguana. The green iguana ranges over a large geographic area; it is native from southern Brazil and Paraguay as far north as Mexico. It is highly invasive in many subtropical and tropical environments throughout the world.

A herbivore, it has adapted significantly with regard to locomotion and osmoregulation as a result of its diet. It grows to 1.7 m (5.6 ft) in length from head to tail, although a few specimens have grown more than 2 m (6.6 ft) with bodyweights upward of 9 kg (20 lb).

Although this species is commonly kept as a pet because of its disposition and coloration, it can be challenging to care for properly. Its requirements for adequate space, lighting, and heat can be difficult for hobbyists to meet.

Taxonomy

The species was first officially described by Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1758. Since then, numerous subspecies have been identified, but later classified as merely regional variants of the same species.

Using nuclear and mitochondrial DNA-sequence data to explore the phylogenic history of the green iguana, scientists from El Salvador, Mexico, and the United States studied animals collected from 17 countries.

Distribution

The native range of the green iguana extends from southern Mexico to central Brazil, Paraguay, and Bolivia and the Caribbean; specifically Grenada, Aruba, Curaçao, Bonaire, Trinidad and Tobago, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Montserrat, Saba and Útila. People in the native regions utilize this species for food leading to increased captive breeding efforts.

Description

The green iguana is a large lizard and is probably the largest species in the iguana family, though a few in the genus Cyclura may match or exceed it in weight. Adults typically grow to 1.2 to 1.7 m (3.9 to 5.6 ft) in length from head to tail. As in all iguanas, the tail comprises much of this length, and the snout-to-vent length of most green iguanas is 30 to 42 cm (12 to 17 in).

Ecology

Reproductive biology

Male green iguanas have highly developed femoral pores on the underside of their thighs, which secrete a scent (females have femoral pores, but they are smaller in comparison to those of the males). In addition, the dorsal spines that run along a green iguana's back are noticeably longer and thicker in males than they are in females, making the animals somewhat sexually dimorphic.

Male green iguanas tend to display more dominant behaviors, such as head bobbing and tail whipping.

Captivity

Green iguanas are by far the most globally traded reptiles, representing 46% of the total reptile trade in the US from 1996 and 2012, with annual imports reaching 1 million in 1996. The American pet trade has put a great demand on the green iguana; 800,000 iguanas were imported into the U.S. in 1995 alone, primarily originating from captive farming operations based in their native countries (Honduras, El Salvador, Colombia, and Panama).

Conservation

The green iguana is listed under Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), meaning that international trade is regulated through the CITES permit system. In addition, the green iguana is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN, with a mention of habitat depletion from development being a possible concern for green iguana populations in the future.

Cultural references

The Moche people of ancient Peru worshipped animals and often depicted green iguanas in their art. The green iguana and its relative the black iguana (Ctenosaura similis) have been used as a food source in Central and South America for the past 7,000 years. It is possible that some of the populations in the Caribbean were translocated there from the mainland by various tribes as a food source.