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After seven years, “Pharaoh,” a male Grand Cayman Blue
Iguana (Cyclura lewisi), will be leaving the Deserts exhibit

at the Indianapolis Zoo in 2005. Based on a recommendation
for breeding by the coordinator for AZA’s West Indian Rock
Iguana Species Survival Plan, the Indianapolis Zoo has agreed
that Pharaoh should be relocated to the Gladys Porter Zoo in
Brownsville, Texas. During summer 2005, a very young breed-
ing pair of Grand Cayman Blue Iguanas will be arriving at the
Indianapolis Zoo. The pair is currently in quarantine at the San
Diego Zoo, after being sent from Grand Cayman earlier this
year. These iguanas represent “founder” animals for the U.S.
zoological Blue Iguana breeding program. The earliest expected
breeding of this pair would be in 2006.

When I first came to the Indianapolis Zoo as a volunteer
in 2001, one of the first animals I met was “Pharaoh,” a four-
foot-long, bright electric blue monster of a lizard. Pharaoh is a
Grand Cayman Blue Iguana (Cyclura lewisi), a very rare lizard in
the wild, and especially rare in zoological collections. Pharaoh is
a little more unpredictable than the other animals in the Deserts
exhibit, as I and the rest of the volunteers quickly discovered. He
has this way about him, this strut of sorts that demonstrates that
he knows he is the king of his domain — perhaps this is the ori-
gin of his name. He is not afraid to offer small head-bobs of
recognition as you enter the exhibit, building into more delib-
erate movements of territoriality as you slowly approach. Then
he takes a step or two toward you with mouth agape before
abruptly turning away at the last moment, moving back a few
feet just to start it all over again. Today, I am a Senior Keeper,
and he remains Zoo royalty, and he still considers me to be his
lowly servant bringing his food and cleaning his kingdom.

In 1999, Pharaoh came to the Indianapolis Zoo from
Grand Cayman and the Cayman Islands National Trust. He was
sent to us as an animal ambassador of sorts, since Blue Iguanas
are found solely on the island of Grand Cayman. The island has
many species of plants and animals that are endemic (found
nowhere else in the world), but the Blue Iguana is arguably the
most special. Pharaoh represents the most critically endangered
species of lizard in the world, with fewer than 50 left in the wild
out of a population that once numbered in the thousands. To
put this in perspective, although they are rare in zoo collections,
hundreds of Chinese Giant Pandas are left in the wild, far out-
numbering Blue Iguanas. Pharaoh is an ambassador from Grand
Cayman making a last plea for help to save his kind.

At the beginning of 2005, there were only 21 blue iguanas
spread among nine zoological institutions in the United States.
With so few Blue Iguanas in the U.S., visitors rarely hear this

species’ cry for help. Pharaoh is what is called a “founder” ani-
mal; his genes are not represented anywhere else in the U.S. pop-
ulation. To educate and promote awareness of the Blue Iguana
among the general public, we hope that individuals like Pharaoh
will successfully breed and produce offspring. More offspring
means more Blue Iguanas in more zoos. More “little Pharaohs”
running around mean more genetic diversity for the entire cap-
tive Blue Iguana population.

At the Indianapolis Zoo Deserts exhibit, Pharaoh keeps up
on all the latest fashions. He patiently waits near the front glass
of the exhibit just to look at and hope to get a taste of the latest
brightly colored shoes — shoes that resemble fruit, the candy of
the iguana world. Likewise, he is easily noticed on exhibit. He
impresses visitors daily with his size, swagger, and color. During
a normal day in the Deserts exhibit, Pharaoh is the star of the
show, but, in the afternoons, visitors get an even more excep-
tional display. Around 2:30 pm each day, our exhibit animals are
offered insects or fruit in addition to the mixed salad they
received earlier in the day. A grape speeding across the exhibit
substrate brings on a demonstration of the excellent sight and
swiftness of the Blue Iguana. As the sound of Pharaoh racing
over the dirt and gravel echoes in the building, visitors pop up
from around corners of other exhibits to catch a glimpse. Our
visitors are surprised to see this monster excitedly eating his fruits
and vegetables. Parents often comment with envy, “If only little
Bobby would eat his fruits and veggies like that.”

Although fruits and vegetables are his favorite treats,
Pharaoh’s ultimate desire is for birdseed. As keepers, we do not

Pharaoh: A Tribute
Joe Ehrenberger

Senior Keeper, Indianapolis Zoo

IGUANA  •  VOLUME 12, NUMBER 3  •  SEPTEMBER 2005 175PHARAOH

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Pharaoh strikes a majestic pose: He has been the undisputed “king” of
the Indianapolis Zoo’s Deserts exhibit for the past seven years.



quite understand the origin of his obsession. Wild Blue Iguanas
are primary vehicles for plant and tree seed dispersal. They eat
the fruits, walk away, defecate, and the following year another
plant or tree begins to climb out of the ground toward the sky.
However, birdseed, not contained with a sweet or colorful fruit,
is a bit different from the typical seeds iguanas help to disperse.
The Indianapolis Zoo’s other three Grand Cayman Blue
Iguanas, three Jamaican Iguanas (C. collei), and two Rhinoceros
Iguanas (C. cornuta) couldn’t care less for birdseed. Only
Pharaoh jumps at it and will do almost anything for it. Even
Fred Burton, Director of the Blue Iguana Recovery Program
(www.blueiguana.ky), who sent Pharaoh to us, cannot explain
this peculiar behavior. Birdseed is the most precious loot this
scaly Caribbean pirate could steal to bury in the depths of his
stomach.

Pharaoh is not just an impressive exhibit animal at the Zoo.
He came to us from Grand Cayman in an effort to get him to
breed with females already in the U.S. However, his role pro-
ducing offspring is not his only job. He is a novel research sub-
ject. Over the years, we have studied his behavior in an effort to
identify specific reproductive cues and territorial characteristics.
We have studied his blood and compared it to blood of other
captive iguanas, as well as to that of wild iguanas. Most recently,
we are studying hormone levels in his feces in an innovative
approach to understanding his reproductive cycle. Throughout
these research duties, Pharaoh rarely “complains” of his job at the
Zoo. After all, he gets to harass and chase us while getting an
occasional tail-whip in, and then gets paid in grapes and birdseed.

However, one of his primary duties in the country is to
reproduce. Although seven years have passed, Pharaoh has no
offspring. Overall, reproduction of Rock Iguanas (lizards in the
genus Cyclura, Grand Cayman Blue Iguanas and their
Caribbean relatives) is limited and inconsistent at all of the best
zoos in the U.S. Cues from our vast knowledge of Green Iguanas
(Iguana iguana) have provided little help. As researchers, we are

just starting to identify behaviors of many Rock Iguanas in the
wild, including reproductive behaviors. With this knowledge,
Pharaoh’s next best chance for reproduction could be with a
female Blue Iguana at a zoo in Texas.

To encourage successful breeding for Pharaoh, the
Indianapolis Zoo has decided to send this giant blue monster of
a lizard to a zoo in Brownsville, Texas. Although his departure is
difficult for us, we retain many fond memories of Pharaoh at the
Indianapolis Zoo. While he isn’t exactly cute or cuddly, like
many of the warm-and-fuzzy zoo animals favored by many vis-
itors, he is impressive with his fantastic other-worldly color and
his large size. How many other animals are four feet long and
bright blue? He is charismatic and attentive. With his extraor-
dinary red eyes, he has seen almost every visitor who walked by
his exhibit. He is a “magnet.” He attracts all sorts of people, from
visitors to keepers, and even the Zoo’s own CEO became enam-
ored with him within his first few weeks at the Zoo, often telling
the story of the endangered Blue Iguanas to donors, the media,
and anyone who would listen. All of us at the Indianapolis Zoo
hope that Pharaoh will be a magnet to a Blue Iguana female and
achieve reproductive success in his new Texas home.

The Indianapolis Zoo inspires local and global communi-
ties to celebrate, protect, and preserve our natural world
through conservation, education, and research, and by pro-
viding an enriching and wondrous environment for our vis-
itors and the animals in our care. The Zoo is accredited by
the American Zoo and Aquarium Association — your
assurance that you are supporting a facility dedicated to
providing excellent care for animals, a great experience for
you, and a better future for all living things. Visit us at
http://www.indyzoo.com.

176 IGUANA  •  VOLUME 12, NUMBER 3  •  SEPTEMBER 2005 EHRENBERGER

Pharaoh is being transferred to the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, Texas in an effort to optimize his chances of reproductive success. 




