In this paper we describe a study that resulted from combined research interests in (1) the ecology and behavior of a specific lizard, Iguana iguana; (2) the overall pattern and outcome of disputes between animals, and (3) the general stochastic modeling of behavior situations. We describe the nesting behavior of female iguanas in Panama to illustrate the disputes that occur over nest burrows in a communal nesting site (Rand, 1968); then we discuss the process involved in settling these disputes, including the role of display and the importance of energy factors.