San Salvador Rock Iguana

Cyclura rileyi

The San Salvador rock iguana, Cyclura rileyi, is a Bahamian rock iguana associated with San Salvador and nearby cays in The Bahamas. It is a stout, ground-dwelling lizard with rough gray, tan, olive, or reddish-tinged scales, a spiny dorsal crest, strong limbs, and a thick tail. Like other Cyclura iguanas, it uses limestone scrub, sandy openings, and low coastal vegetation, basking in exposed places and retreating to burrows or rock crevices. Adults feed largely on leaves, flowers, fruits, and seasonal plant material, and they help move seeds through dry island habitats.

This iguana is not a routine pet-trade reptile. Wild populations are small, protected, and vulnerable to hurricanes, illegal collection, habitat disturbance, and introduced animals such as cats, dogs, rats, pigs, and goats. Conservation work may include population surveys, nest monitoring, invasive species control, translocation, and head-starting young iguanas until they are large enough to release. Zoos and specialist facilities that keep Cyclura provide spacious warm enclosures, intense basking light, ultraviolet exposure, dry retreats, and a mostly leafy, high-fiber diet rather than animal protein or sugary fruit.