Times of the Islands Fall 2023

green pages newsletter of the department of environment & coastal resources
MADISON ROTH
To determine the effect that provisioning has on the
normally timid and evasive TCI rock iguanas, researchers
gathered data on the behavior and number of iguanas
in two areas located within one kilometer of each other
on an uninhabited cay. One of the areas is very popular
with tourists, and the other is rarely visited. The researchers
walked through three types of sub-habitats: sandy
beaches, dense shrubbery, and rocky cliffs. In the more
rugged non-tourist area, the iguanas exhibited skittish
behavior. Researchers only saw one rock iguana, in the
act of running for its life, and the rest of their few encounters
were only the unmistakable sound of scuttling feet in
the bushes. In all of eight quick interactions, the iguanas
in the less-touristed area displayed their normal fearful
and protective attitudes, fleeing from potential danger.
Only a short distance away in the more-touristed area,
however, there was an extreme shift in iguana behav-
ior. Many more iguanas were observed, and they were
more aggressive. Three times as many interactions were
logged. During most of these encounters, the researchers
were able to see and maintain prolonged eye contact with
these bold reptiles, not unlike a Wild West stare down.
Iguanas in this area approached researchers with fearless
determination, lingering around every turn to beg
for food. This food-seeking behavior is typical of rock
iguanas: once they locate a food source, they are known
to return to that site frequently. The longer researchers
stayed in the tourist area, the more iguanas could be seen
lurking and looking for snacks.
The researchers also noted that 86% of all iguanas
encountered at both sites were found within or around
the dense shrubbery just upland of the beach. On the
non-tourist beaches, this sub-habitat was dense, overgrown,
and practically impenetrable. On the tourist
Times of the Islands Fall 2023 41