Grand Cayman blue iguana (Cyclura lewisi).
Image: Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
At a glance
- IUCN category
- EN · Endangered
- Animal group
- Reptiles & Amphibians
- Population trend
- Increasing
- FaunaHub record reviewed
- Checked against IUCN
- Matches source — IUCN's 2012 global assessment of Cyclura lewisi says EndangeredChecked 2026-10-09 against IUCN's Red List export published 2026-07-28 · assessment
Conservation overview
The Grand Cayman blue iguana is a large, strikingly blue-grey lizard found only on Grand Cayman. It is assessed as Endangered, recovering from near-extinction.
It was reduced to a handful of animals before an intensive breeding programme.
Range & habitat
The island of Grand Cayman in the Caribbean.
Major threats
Threats below are drawn from the authoritative sources listed on this page. For the current, complete assessment, see the IUCN Red List.
- Past habitat loss and predation by introduced animals
- Road deaths
- A small range
Why it matters
Rescued from the very edge of extinction by a captive-breeding and release programme, the blue iguana is a celebrated island-reptile recovery story.
Recovered from the brink of extinction; down-listed from Critically Endangered to Endangered in 2012.
Gallery
Grand Cayman blue iguana (Cyclura lewisi).
Image: Bloopityboop, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Sources
Sources for Grand Cayman Blue Iguana
- IUCN Red List — look up Grand Cayman Blue Iguana (authoritative status)
- reptile-database.reptarium.cz