NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BLACK IGUANA Ctenosaura similis (SQUAMATA: IGUANIDAE) IN ISLA CONTOY, QUINTANA ROO, MEXICO

Abstract

The genera Iguanaand Ctenosaurabelong to the Iguanidae family, and populations of most species of these genera have decreased due to anthropogenic effects. The natural history of most species of this family is poorly known, including Ctenosaura similis. Therefore, this study documents some ecological aspects of the species, such as its feeding habits, and habitat and microhabitat use in a population on Isla Contoy in Quintana Roo, Mexico. The data showed that even though C. similisis distributed throughout the island, individuals more commonly use human construction (buildings) of Parque Nacional Isla Contoy (PNIC) and mangrove areas. Microhabitats most used by all age classes and sexes were rocks and trees. The diet of the species is omnivorous; however, the frequency of prey type consumed changes with the age of the individuals (hatchlings, juveniles, and adults), as well as with the season of the year. The practice of cannibalism by some individuals is also reported, as well as coprophagy and scavenging. This work provides general information on the life history of C. similis, complementing the scarce information that is currently available.

LA PALOMA ALA BLANCA (Zenaida asiatica), UN NUEVO REPORTE ESPECÍFICO EN LA DIETA DE Ctenosaura similis (SQUAMATA: IGUANIDAE)

“…He also wrote that near houses, this iguana takes chicks of domestic hens and human feces (p. 91). Other authors have described this species as occasionally carnivorous, or indicate seasonal or ontogenetic changes in the species diet (Klein, 1977;García-Rosales et al, 2020). Fitch and Hackforth-Jones (1983) suggested that adult Black Iguana primarily eats leaves, flowers and fruits during the dry season, although their diet also includes small animals (Traveset, 1990).…”

“…One interesting aspect of the food habits of this species is the occurrence of ontogenetic changes; juveniles prey mainly on insects (Montanucci, 1968;Lee, 2000) and reduces this intake to only 6% at the end of the first year of life, while adults feed mainly on plant material (Mora, 2010). This species can also eat carrion; there are two examples of it scavenging on toads (Pasachnik & Corneil, 2011;López & Mora, 2021), one fish, and at least three bird species (García-Rosales et al, 2020). Evidence of vertebrate predatory habits is less common, although few cases have been reported.…”

“…Several authors have considered the Black Iguana omnivorous, carnivorous, or opportunist. It also has been recognized that its diet has seasonal and ontogenetic changes (Mora, 2010;García-Rosales et al, 2020). As much as 90% of the diet of young Black Iguana consists of insects, but within their first year of life, the quantity and diversity of animal matter decrease as the intake of vegetable matter increases (Mora, 2010).…”

“…Ninety percent of the prey items found in the stomach contents were insects (14 families), plus other invertebrates (Table 1). Additionally, hatchlings have been observed feeding on feces of adult iguanas (García-Rosales et al, 2020) and they have been also seen consuming human feces (Álvarez del Toro, 1960),…”

“…The variety of plant species consumed by C. similis is high, it was reported to consist of 39 species (Furness, 2021b), based on a report from Florida including 24 native and 14 nonindigenous plants (Krysko et al, 2009). However, these authors did not count 42 species (20 families) reported as consumed by juvenile individuals of 2 -12 month old in Costa Rica (although not all of them were identified at the species level, Mora, 2010) and nine species reported from México (García-Rosales et al, 2020). As result, there are at least 90 plant species reported as consumed by the Black Iguana.…”