Featured Reptile of the Week
Featured reptile of the week: the Fiji Iguana. Good work everyone, my 'Who Am I' post from the other day is indeed a Fiji Iguana. It is, in fact, a hybrid Banded/Crested Fiji Iguana and is on loan to us from the San Diego Zoo - which is working closely with the Finjian government on conservation of these critically endangered lizards. The main threat to these lizards is habitat destruction, much of it from goats released on their islands.
Some scientists believe this species evolved from South American iguanas that floated across the Pacific on rafts of vegetation and debris. In two tribes on Fiji these lizards are important and powerful totemic animals. They forbid any mention of the animal in the presence of women and uninitiated men.
We love this little guy. His colors are stunning and he has such a friendly, inquisitive face. He will be on exhibit in the lower ring of the Sky Dome all summer long.
