FaunaHub
ENEndangeredPartial review

Grand Cayman Blue Iguana

Cyclura lewisi

Grand Cayman blue iguana (Cyclura lewisi), a large blue-grey lizard.

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
Last verified

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

A blue iguana basking.

Grand Cayman blue iguana (Cyclura lewisi).

Image: Bloopityboop, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Sources

Sources for Grand Cayman Blue Iguana

Frequently Asked Questions

How endangered was the blue iguana?
It was reduced to a tiny number of animals in the wild before a dedicated breeding-and-release programme began returning iguanas to protected areas on Grand Cayman.
Why is the Grand Cayman blue iguana still Endangered?
Published assessments cite its history of habitat loss and introduced predators, road deaths, and a small island range, even as numbers recover. See the IUCN Red List.

Last updated: