Iguana 10.2 I.I.S. Board of Directors Joseph Wasilewski, President Homestead, FL Joseph Burgess, Vice-president Jacksonville, FL A.C. Echternacht, Ph.D., Treasurer University of Tennesee, Knoxville, TN AJ Gutman, Executive Secretary and Associate Editor of IGUANA West Harford, CT John & Sandy Binns, Directors, Associate Editor of IGUANA and Internet Operations International Reptile Conservation Foundation, San Jose, CA Gunther Köhler, Ph.D. and Elke Köhler, Directors Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseum Senckenberg & Herpeton, Frankfurt, Germany Robert Powell, Ph.D., Director and Editor of IGUANA Avila University, Kansas City, MO I.I.S. Editorial/Advisory Board Allison C. Alberts, Ph.D. IUCN/SSC Iguana Specialist Group and Zoological Society of San Diego, San Diego, CA John Bendon, Illustrator for IGUANA Bath, England Gordon M. Burghardt, Ph.D. University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN Frederic J. Burton Blue Iguana Recovery Program, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands Jorge Ferrari Organización de Rescate y Protección de Reptiles y Anfibios, Tegucigalpa, Honduras Matthias Goetz, Dipl.-Biol. Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, Jersey, British Isles Alexander Gutsche, Dipl.-Biol. Humboldt Universität, Berlin, Germany Richard Hudson International Iguana Foundation and Fort Worth Zoo, Fort Worth, TX John B. Iverson, Ph.D. Earlham College, Richmond, IN Chuck Knapp University of Florida, Gainesville, FL Michael Ripca, Managing Editor of IGUANA Leaping Lizards Graphic Design, Atco, NJ Thomas Wiewandt, Ph.D. Wild Horizons, Tucson, AZ Founding Directors Robert W. and Marcie Ehrig Big Pine Key, FL Statement of Purpose The International Iguana Society, Inc. is a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to preserving the biological diversity of iguanas. We believe that the best way to protect iguanas and other native plants and animals is to preserve natural habitats and to encourage development of sustainable economies compatible with the maintenance of biodiversity. To this end, we will: (1) engage in active conservation, initiating, assisting, and funding conservation efforts in cooperation with U.S. and international governmental and private agencies; (2) promote educational efforts related to the preservation of biodiversity; (3) build connections between individuals and the academic, zoo, and conserva- tion communities, providing conduits for education and for involving the general public in efforts to preserve endangered species; and (4) encourage the dissemination and exchange of information on the ecology, population biology, behavior, captive husbandry, taxonomy, and evolution of iguanas. Membership Information Iguana, the Journal of The International Iguana Society, is distributed quarterly to members and member organizations. Annual dues: Individual U.S. and Canadian Membership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $25.00 Individual Foreign Membership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $35.00 U.S. and Canadian Organizational Membership* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $35.00 Foreign Organizational Membership* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $45.00 (*receives double copies of Iguana) Additional copies are available at a cost of $6.00 including postage. Write to: The International Iguana Society, Inc., 133 Steele Road, West Hartford, CT 06119 Membership questions? Call AJ at 860-236-8203. OR VISIT OUR WEB SITE AT: www.iguanasociety.org Solicitations Members of the I.I.S. are encouraged to contribute articles, letters to the Editor, news items, and announcements for publication in Iguana. General articles can deal with any aspect of iguana biology, including conservation, behavior, ecology, physiology, systematics, or husbandry. Submission of photographs to accompany articles is encouraged. Manuscripts may be submitted via e-mail (send to ctenosaura@cyclura.com). For any contribution, please include your name, address, phone number, and e-mail address. Authors of one page or more of print are entitled to five copies of the issue in which their article appears. Advertising Policy of Iguana We advertise only non-living products (except feeder insects). All products have been examined and been found to be high quality and fairly priced. Contact I.I.S., 133 Steele Road, West Hartford, CT 06119, for more information. Iguana Copyright ©2003 by The International Iguana Society, Inc., 133 Steele Road, West Hartford, CT 06119 USA. ISSN # 1098-6324. The contents of Iguana, excluding Research Articles, Research Updates, and reprinted articles, may be reproduced for inclusion in the newsletters of other herpetological societies, provided the material is reproduced without change and with appropriate credits, and a copy of the publication is sent to The International Iguana Society. Occasional exceptions may be made to this policy. FEATURE: IIS Conference on Utila Utila: Home to Three Native Iguanas...................27 Utila Island Swampers............28 Brief History of the Iguana Station ...................30 The Zen of Swamping — Adventures on Utila...........32 SPECIES PROFILE: Utila’s Reptiles....................36 FEATURE: Stout Iguanas Stout Iguanas: Historical Perspectives and Status Report.....................39 Guana and Necker Island Population Assessments 2002 .................................49 HUSBANDRY: Green Iguana Communication.................50 PROFILE: Fred Burton: The Man Behind the Blue Iguana Recovery Plan.........53 HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES: The Black Iguana ...............56 IGUANA NEWSBRIEFS............58 LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT.........................59 Editors’ Remarks This is a special issue of IGUANA. One reason is that it is half again as long as a regular issue. We owe this to a generous donation by Henry and Gloria Jarecki, who subsidized the extra pages in order to accommodate the feature on Stout Iguanas (p. 39). They already have made tremendous contributions to the species’ chances for survival by providing it with a second home on Guana. This issue also includes for the first time several new regular features created in response to discussions by the Board of Directors during the IIS Conference on Utila (p. 27). Each issue from now on will include at least one article focusing on some aspect of iguana husbandry. The first of these, on Green Iguana communication (p. 50), was excerpted from the excellent book by Gunther Köhler, which, unfortunately for most U.S. iguana enthusiasts, is currently available only in German. In addition, each issue will profile an individual who has made significant contributions to our understanding of iguanas. The inaugural profile (p. 53) features Fred Burton, the man behind the Blue Iguana Recovery Programme. Also appearing for the first time is an historical perspective. These features will appear from time to time in order to lend some insights into the changing perceptions of iguanas over the years. This issue’s perspective (p. 56) addresses Black Iguanas (Ctenosaura), which is particularly appropriate in light of the ctenosaurs of Utila that so delighted the Conference participants. We also provide a Species Profile (p. 36) that presents a suite of species instead of only one. We do not necessarily intend for this to become the normal mode for these features, but decided that it was appropriate, at least this one time, because of the unusual reptilian diversity on Utila and because it emphasizes how iguana conservation can benefit an entire biotic community. Bob Powell, AJ Gutman, and John Binns In This Issue...