Utila - A Survivor from the Dino Era (14/35)

Utila - A Survivor from the Dino Era (14/35)

Off the north coast of Honduras, a chain of islands rises out of the Caribbean Sea, the Islas de la Bahia, whose westernmost - and also smallest - main island is called Utila. This is the home of a rare species of large iguana, the Utila black iguana. These large lizards are among the oldest animal species in the world; they were rivals of the dinosaurs - and have outlived them. In 1994, only a few hundred of these animals were estimated to be still alive. The black iguanas were threatened by extinction. The pregnant females, in particular, are harassed at their egg-laying sites by local inhabitants in search of the prized iguana eggs. Within a few years the Utila iguana would have been wiped out irrevocably by this large-scale hunting were it not for the "Conservation Project of the Utila Iguanas" founded by a group of biologists. It is not only their way of life which is impressive but also their habitat in the island's mangrove swamps. There is a dearth of greenery here among the roots and fallen trees, the grey-brown colouring of this archaic species provides them with excellent camouflage.