Introduction
Many
green iguanas live on the grounds of our school and the entire school has
been studying them since late November, 1998. We assigned each class
an iguana that we had marked with a harmless latex paint. Each class
was assigned to observe and gather information on their iguana. Since
few people in the Virgin Islands study the iguanas it was our opportunity
to take action. We are trying to help save the iguana by educating
people about them.
Characterists
of our iguanas
Our iguana is in known as the Green
Iguana, or Iguana, Iguana. It grows to an average length of 3 to
4 feet long. It is usually very green when it is young and turns
more gray/brown as it gets older. Our iguanas are basically
gentle creatures and are not a danger to humans.
Frequency
of Observation
Weíve
seen the same iguanas over and over again so we can conclude that
they are living at this school. Some iguanas weíve seen a lot,
some not so much and some iguanas we have not seen again since the
day they were tagged. We learned that many of these iguanas
were killed by people, by cars, by animals or poisonous plants. We
learned the hard way that people kill iguanas to eat.
Habitat
Our
school yard is an iguana habitat. At our school, we have observed
iguanas in the trees, on the field, in the front yard, on the roof of the
Computer Lab and one iguana stays by the kitchen, where the cooks
feed it leftover food. Iguanas are in our school because they were
here before it was built. They have allowed us to share this area with
them. They stay in the front yard and the field to bask in the sun.
Their main habitat is on the Computer Lab roof, near their favorite feeding
site, and in the back of our reading room, where they hang out in the cement
block fence which we call the Iguana Hotel.
Territory
Iguanas live in communities and are peaceful
around other iguanas. They only get offended when they feel threatened
or during mating season. Our iguanas do not seem to travel far from
their home territory.
Food
We
have observed that the iguanas favorite food is the flower of the power
puff tree that has been blooming from November to March. They have
also been seen eating grass, green leaves, hibiscus, and garbage.
Reproduction
Most
Iguanas mate in the months from January to March but we've observed the
most activity in March. Some Iguanas have been mating in groups.
Some female Iguanas mate with several different males in one day!
The male Iguanas puff out their dewlap to attract mates. Most
fights are caused by competition over females. We have seen
iguana eggs in the ground.
How
Iguanaís Defend Themselves
Iguana's
defend themselves either by camoflage, or running up a tree or the
wall of a house to get away from a threat. Also the green iguana
raises its chest, and inflates a pouch that hangs from its throat in order
to look more impressive when it is in danger. They use their tail
for defense. When they are in danger they use it as a whip. If these demonstrations
do not discourage its adversary, it can fight very well, using its
claws and teeth.
Endangered
Our iguanas are on the Endangered
List and therefore, they are protected by the government. Some people
kill iguanas to eat and others kill them for sport. When
people kill iguanas in the V.I. they can be sent to jail or fined or both.
Conclusion
Since this study many Muller children
are not as afraid as they used to be and are more interested in them than
ever before. I think that the children are kinder and more interested
in iguanas because we are studying them. We are also helping to educate
our community by telling them to leave the iguanas alone and by setting
a good example for everyone. Our project has gotten much pubolcity
and one result of our project is that the Department of Fish and Wildlife
is now printing their warning signs in Spanish.
OUR
SLOGAN IS :
PEACE TO THE URBAN IGUANA
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