There’s a day to celebrate nearly every food, activity and animal – and iguanas are no different! Happy National Iguana Awareness Day (September 8) to our two Grand Cayman blue iguanas, Leonard and Lucia!
Ten-year-old Leonard joined our Zoo in 2013 and 4-year-old Lucia arrived in 2020 from fellow zoos. Both iguanas live in separate habitats along our Caribbean Trail. At Lucia’s age and size, she’s arboreal – so she does well in her current habitat which allows her to climb and be in trees. Once she gets larger, she will be on the ground more.
Lucia will eventually move to the space next to Leonard’s habitat so the two can start becoming acclimated to each other – we’re hoping for some iguana babies in the future! This species is solitary, so introductions would only for breeding opportunities and would be monitored by their animal care team to make sure they’re positive.
Grand Cayman blue iguanas are endangered in their natural range, which, as the name suggests, is Grand Cayman Island. This species faces a number of threats such as habitat loss, the pet trade and domestic animals (like cats and dogs). This species was considered functionally extinct in 2002 with only about 10-25 animals in their natural habitat. Since then, a coordinated conservation breeding program has helped this population slowly rebound.
We’ve been home to blue iguanas since 2013. This omnivorous animal eats pretty much anything that comes their way, but primarily focuses on vegetation like flowers, browse, fruits and vegetables. They will also eat insects, and on rare occasions, crabs.
Blue iguanas spend about 80-90 percent of their energy budget foraging for food. Our iguanas’ animal care team encourages our duo to forage through special enrichment like puzzle feeders.
Don’t miss checking in with Leonard and Lucia along our Caribbean Trail! We hope to share some more exciting updates on them in the future!
Brevard Zoo is an independent, not-for-profit organization that receives no recurring government funding for our operating costs. Your generous support enables us to continue to serve our community and continue our vital animal wellness, education and conservation programs.