Chordates • Earth.com

Ricord's ground iguana

(Cyclura ricordi)

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Description

Cyclura ricordii, also known as Ricord's ground iguana or Ricord's rock iguana, is an endangered species of medium-sized rock iguana, a large herbivorous lizard. It is endemic to the island of Hispaniola (in both Haiti and the Dominican Republic). It is known to coexist with the nominate subspecies of the rhinoceros iguana (C. cornuta cornuta); the two species are the only taxa of rock iguana to do so. The natural habitats of its three subpopulations are hot, dry, wooded savanna on limestone with access to soil and sandy flats in southern Hispaniola. It is threatened by predation by introduced predators and habitat loss, due to overgrazing and charcoal manufacture. Cyclura ricordii is a species of rock iguana with a maximum snout-to-vent length in males of 460 mm (18 in), in females to 430 mm (17 in), The tail is 540 mm (21 in) long at maximum. The average snout-to-vent length at birth is 96 mm (3.8 in) with a 147 mm (5.8 in) tail. Their body color is a grayish green flat color marked by five to six bold pale gray chevrons alternating with dark gray to black chevrons. In adults, the dark chevrons are less contrasting than in juveniles. The eyes have a dark, almost black iris and red sclera. Until 2008, Cyclura ricordii was thought to be restricted to two populations in the southern Dominican Republic: one population in the arid Hoya de Enriquillo surrounding the hypersaline Lake Enriquillo and its lake island Isla Cabritos, and the other in the most xeric portion of the coastal lowlands of Pedernales Province. These are separated by the moister Sierra de Bahoruco, with three peaks exceeding 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) which form an ecological barrier between two populations. Past drier Pleistocene climates may have allowed genetic exchange between the two populations. It is sympatric throughout its range with C. cornuta, the rhinoceros iguana. All other Caribbean islands with rock iguanas are home to a single species. In 2008, a third population was found to exist near the town of Anse-a-Pitres in Haiti, near the southernmost coast. Hispaniola was once two islands; genetic evidence indicates C. ricordii evolved on the northern island and later dispersed southwards, while C. cornuta evolved on the southern island.

Taxonomic tree:

Domain:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum:
Class: Reptilia
Order:Squamata
Family:Iguanidae
Genus:Cyclura
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