BajaNomad

Resident iguana is back!

Acuity - 1-8-2009 at 10:03 AM

Thought you might like this photo of our resident iguana, who was MIA for quite a while. Thought he couldn't stand the last summer and had packed his bags.

Iguana-small.jpg - 24kB

DianaT - 1-8-2009 at 10:34 AM

He is cute and I am glad he is no longer MIA. Also, nice photo--it shows him off very well.

Diane

Skipjack Joe - 1-8-2009 at 11:36 AM

What does aging and iguanas have in common? That must be an old iguana ... my skin is starting to look like that.

Are you sure that's an iguana? It looks like a chuckawalla to me. Where are the herpetologists in our group? There are some good ones on gringorio's website (ursidae99).

Edit: Sorry, it does seem to be an iguana. Just lacks the spines on the back. It's not a desert iguana. It probably came from the mainland as it doesn't appear to be native to baja. I've saw a couple like that perched on the kilometer marker at Santa Rosalia and did a double take. My theory is that they hitched a ride on the ferry from Puerto Vallarta.

[Edited on 1-8-2009 by Skipjack Joe]

Acuity - 1-8-2009 at 11:59 AM

I am assuming it's an iguana. It has a very spiky tail. And as for his skin - yes, I too am beginning to look like that. It was a very hot summer, and I forgot to leave the suntan lotion here for him ....

what should we name him

nancyinpdx - 1-22-2009 at 03:48 AM

How bout Iggy Juana (uh oh might make ppl think he's transgendered!)
Or Igor

Baja&Back - 1-22-2009 at 07:22 AM

That's definitely NOT an Iguana. I used to have one as a pet. Looks more like a Comodo Dragon. (long way from home)

How about a "Name that Species" contest????:lol:

The Gull - 1-22-2009 at 07:25 AM

Don't let Shari near him as he will be BBQ.

bajabass - 1-22-2009 at 01:43 PM

LMAO:spingrin::spingrin:

Hook - 1-22-2009 at 04:42 PM

Looks like a chuckwalla to me.

Spiky chuckwalla?

Acuity - 1-22-2009 at 05:11 PM

Here's another picture showing the spiky tail (not typical of chuckwalla according to Wikipedia). Maybe it's a cross between a chuckwalla and a triceratops?

Chuckwalla-small.jpg - 30kB

tehag - 1-22-2009 at 06:31 PM

Cape spiny-tailed iguana - Ctenosaura hemilopha - iguana de palo

Amphibians and Reptiles of Baja California
L Lee Grismer

Ctenosaura hemilopha subspecies

Skipjack Joe - 1-22-2009 at 11:17 PM

tehag rarely misidentifies baja fauna.

http://www.westcoastiguana.com/hemolopha.htm

They're theorizing that these iguanas were introduced to baja from the mainland by the Seri indians.

Notice the different subspecies on the islands, including Cerralvo. That would suggest to me that speciation has started to occur due to isolation and evolutionary forces, much like Darwin's finches on Galapagos.

[Edited on 1-23-2009 by Skipjack Joe]

hemolophamap.gif - 10kB

BajaNuts - 1-23-2009 at 12:54 AM

I can't really get into the naming game until I know for sure how to pronounce the word. Is it as I've always heard in USA as "ee-gwha-na" or is it pronounced with Hispanic inflections as- "ih-hwa-na"?

Acuity - 1-23-2009 at 06:48 AM

Thanks so much for all the suggestions! The pictures referenced for C. hemilopha hemilopha show a "punk" hairdo on the head, and bands of black on teh neck that this one does not. Another sub subspecies?

The Gull - 1-23-2009 at 07:13 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by BajaNuts
I can't really get into the naming game until I know for sure how to pronounce the word. Is it as I've always heard in USA as "ee-gwha-na" or is it pronounced with Hispanic inflections as- "ih-hwa-na"?


ee-ho-la cheen-ga-da

Iguana

tehag - 1-23-2009 at 07:54 AM

The G is pronounced as in English. ee GWA nah

Variation is more the rule than the exception in most species; it’s how evolution works. If I had a picture of Shaquile Oneal and another of Dustin Hoffman, which should I publish as representative of Homo sapiens sapiens?

The Gull - 1-23-2009 at 08:04 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by tehag
If I had a picture of Shaquile Oneal and another of Dustin Hoffman, which should I publish as representative of Homo sapiens sapiens?


Neither, but if you added Al Pacino - you would begin defining a sub species.

Skipjack Joe - 1-23-2009 at 10:05 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by tehag
The G is pronounced as in English. ee GWA nah

Variation is more the rule than the exception in most species; it’s how evolution works. If I had a picture of Shaquile Oneal and another of Dustin Hoffman, which should I publish as representative of Homo sapiens sapiens?


You could argue that Shaq is a subspecies.

NOTE: This is not a racist remark. In the world of biology subspecies does not refer to "less than" or "inferior".

[Edited on 1-23-2009 by Skipjack Joe]

[Edited on 1-23-2009 by Skipjack Joe]

wilderone - 1-23-2009 at 10:33 AM

These are around Rancho Leonero - different from above?

oldjack - 1-23-2009 at 02:08 PM

do these critters hibernate??? my last two trips (Dec & Jan) to Los Barriles no gechos(sp?) or iguanas were to be seen...