Juvenile survival in the Allen Cays rock iguana (Cyclura cychlura inornata)
Copeia
2007
Journal Article
2007
3
740-744
Cyclura cychlura inornata;natural history
Study of the population biology of the Allen Cays Rock Iguana (Cyclura cychlura inornata) in the Bahamas has been ongoing since 1980, and most aspects of the reproductive biology and demography of this taxon have been elucidated. I used recapture data to produce the first estimate of juvenile survival. Of 16 juveniles captured and marked at age 0.5 years, nine were alive at age 12.5 yrs (typical age at maturity), an annualized rate of 95.3%. Of four other juveniles marked at age 1.5 yrs, three were still alive ten years later, an annual rate of 97.2%. These rates are the highest recorded for juveniles of any lizard. A life table generated for this taxon demonstrates extreme longevity, very high survival throughout life, greatly delayed maturity (longer than for any studied lizard), extreme iteroparity, and low reproductive output. Net reproductive rate (R0 = 3.4) and cohort generation time (21 yrs) match the 3.2-fold population size increase estimated between 1982 and 2004.