Description :

• Endemic to the Lesser Antilles and a protected species in Guadeloupe and Martinique.
• Classified as endangered on the IUCN Red List (2000 assessment).
• Size varies by island, reaching up to 1.6 meters long, with the tail representing about 70% of total length.
• Robust body; can move in trees and swim.
• Four clawed limbs allow climbing and digging nests.
• Herbivorous: feeds on leaves, flowers, and fruits from various trees and shrubs.
• Features: a series of uniform scales on the lower jaw extending to the snout; a dewlap under the throat used for communication and dominance, sometimes with up to 10 spines.
• Distinct from the green iguana by its unstriped tail and absence of a large tympanic scale.
• Coloration changes with age, sex, and social status:
  
  • Juveniles: bright apple green.
  • Subadult and adult females: matte green, darker green, or grayish-green.
  • Dominant males: dark gray, brown, or nearly black.
• Reproduction: females lay eggs in sunny, well-drained sandy areas, digging tunnel nests about 1 meter long.

Habitat :

• Found from sea level up to 300 m altitude.
• In Guadeloupe: dry scrublands, coastal dry forests, humid ravines intersecting banana plantations, and degraded back-beach mangroves.
• On dry islands, closely associated with coastal areas.

Threats :

• Once widespread from Anguilla to Martinique.
• Major threats: habitat destruction, hunting, introduced predators, and hybridization with the green iguana (Iguana iguana).
• Currently restricted to a few sites in Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Dominica.