23 November 2016
The reptile section has welcomed some new additions in the form of four incredibly cute baby rhinoceros iguanas. The parents are Gisela and Bristol, and this is the first time we've managed to get fertile eggs from the pair. After Gisela laid the eggs, we carefully placed them in an incubator where they remained until they hatched. Rhinoceros iguanas are very territorial, and the males have territories that they guard. They sleep and seek shelter in crevices and caves, but they are also quite good climbers – taller trees and rocks are used as lookout and sunbathing spots.
The rhinoceros iguana is classified as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List and can be found on the islands of Hispaniola, Dominican Republic, and Haiti. Their numbers are declining due to factors including deforestation, habitat loss, and injury or predation by domestic dogs, cats, and pigs.
In both Haiti and the Dominican Republic, the people living in the areas where the rhinoceros iguanas inhabit are very poor, and the forest is an important source of income. In the Dominican Republic, approximately 35% of the rhinoceros iguana’s habitat has been lost and 75% of the remainder is under threat. Both these figures are even higher for Haiti.
We've also received a cute little red-bellied side-necked turtle, which is barely the size of a five-pence coin! You can find the parents of this little darling in the pond near the Komodo dragons. This is a so-called side-necked turtle – it doesn't retract its neck into its shell, but instead folds it to the side. There are about 60 species of side-necked turtles (Pleurodira), and these turtles were the first to evolve. Hidden-necked turtles (Cryptodira) evolved later and are the suborder with the most species today (approx. 200).