The rhinoceros iguana (Cyclura cornuta) is a large lizard endemic to the island of Hispaniola, shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic, where it inhabits dry forest and scrub. It takes its name from the bony, horn-like tubercles on its snout, most pronounced in males, which resemble the horn of a rhinoceros. It is heavily built, with a crest of spiny scales along its back and a vertically flattened tail, and grows to more than a meter in length. It is mainly herbivorous, eating leaves, flowers, and fruit, though it will also take small animals opportunistically, and is generally docile toward people. Habitat loss and introduced predators have reduced its numbers, and the IUCN assesses it as Endangered.
Facts
Classification
System (Realm) Relationship to People Living or Extinct Scientific Name Conservation Status Comparison
CITES Appendix Connections
Child Taxon Of
Cyclura, Taxa Source Rhinoceros Iguana (Wikidata)
In Biome
Desert, Biomes Source Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Animal Diversity Web: Cyclura cornuta
In the Other Atlases
Found In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Rhinoceros iguana
WikipediaConservation
Illegal logging, competition from domestic grazers (cows, pigs, goats), predation on young by invasive species, limestone mining, harvesting for the pet trade, hunting for bushmeat, pollution, and wildfires are all manmade threats to the rhinoceros iguana's survival.
Article text
International trade in the species is regulated under the Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.
system statement
Though not restricted to one single habitat, the iguanas are found most abundantly in scrub woodlands of the Hispaniolan dry forests (characterized by xeric, rocky terrain of eroded limestone with minimal flora), coastal terraces, lowlands of the mainland, plus several offshore islands and small cays, all with slightly different habitat types.
Infobox: status
EN
View the Source 2. Rhinoceros Iguana (Wikidata)
Wikidata- Wikidata Q907252 (P225 taxon name)
Statements section, conservation status (P141)
IUCN Red List conservation status (Wikidata property P141): endangered.
- Child Taxon Of: Cyclura, Wikidata P171 (parent taxon) claim, rank=normal, target=Q1205923 (Cyclura)
View the Source Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Animal Diversity Web: Cyclura cornuta
Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of ZoologyIn Biome: Desert, Habitat Regions, biome: desert or duneQuote, In Biome: Desert, Habitat Regions, biome: desert or dune
desert or dune desert or dune
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