Iguana_11.1_bw_text


Alberts, A. C., R. L. Carter, W. K. Hayes and E. P. Martins
(eds.). 2004. Iguanas: Biology and Conservation. University of
California Press, Berkeley. xvi + 356 pp. Cloth, $65.00.

Since its publication in 1982, Iguanas of the World: Their
Behavior, Ecology and Conservation (G.M. Burghardt and

A.S. Rand, eds. Noyes, Publ. Park Ridge, New Jersey) has served
as a primary reference for anyone interested in iguanas. The 31
authors represented in that volume summarized what was
known about the biology of most genera in the subfamily
Iguaninae of the family Iguanidae as it was then understood.
Intended primarily for the professional biologist, the book pre-
dated the explosion of interest in iguanas brought about by the
relatively recent rise in the popularity of Green Iguanas in the
pet trade, and of breeder interest in some of the highly endan-
gered West Indian Rock Iguanas (Cyclura). It also predated the
discovery of the amazing shrinking Marine Iguanas of the
Galápagos Islands, the rediscovery of the “extinct” Jamaican
Rock Iguana (Cyclura collei), and extensive research in the field
and on captive colonies of many other iguanines. Consequently,
I opened the literary heir-apparent to Burghardt and Rand’s
landmark volume with considerable anticipation.

The new book evolved from a symposium sponsored by
the Herpetologists’ League in 1997. With the exception of
Gordon Burghardt, none of the authors who were represented
in the Burghardt and Rand volume contributed to this one, but
the general themes are essentially the same: evolutionary diver-
sity, behavior and ecology, and conservation of iguanas.
Following an introductory and largely autobiographical chapter
by Burghardt, a section of the book is devoted to each of these
themes.

The five chapters of Part I are devoted to diversity. The first
provides a useful discussion of the evolution and relationships of
iguanas, and includes a checklist of species. The taxonomy of
lizards in the family Iguanidae has been controversial. Pending
resolution of that controversy, the author adopts a concept of
Iguanidae attributable to Frost and Etheridge (1989. University
of Kansas Museum of Natural History Miscellaneous Publication
no. 81). That concept recognizes the following living genera:
Amblyrhynchus (Galapagos Marine Iguana, 1 species),
Brachylophus (Fijian Iguanas, 2 species), Conolophus (Galapagos
Land Iguanas, 2 species), Ctenosaura (Neotropical Spiny-tailed
Iguanas, 17 species), Cyclura (West Indian Rock Iguanas, 7
species), Dipsosaurus (Desert Iguanas, 2 species), Iguana (Green
Iguanas, 2 species), and Sauromalus (Chuckwallas, 5 species).
Two Malagasy genera, Oplurus and Chalarodon, are excluded,
although, interestingly, the editors include them in the preface,
but make no mention of them in the introductions to each of
the three main sections of the book. Following the chapter on
evolution and relationships, the next three chapters are based on
genetic data: the contributions of genetic research to the con-
servation of Caribbean iguanas, the genetic structure of the
Turks and Caicos Rock Iguana (C. carinata) and its importance
to the conservation of the species, and the evolution of
Galapagos iguanas as revealed by molecular data. The last chap-
ter in the section concerns sodium and potassium secretion by

means of salt glands. More comparative than other chapters, it
makes comparisons with species in other families of lizards, and
specifically addresses the function and importance of salt glands
and their association with herbivory and marine diets.

The titles of the first two chapters in the section on behav-
ior and ecology suggest that they will be broadly comparative,
but they actually discuss only the results of research on C. cari-
nata in the Turks & Caicos Islands. The first documents the
occurrence of appeasement displays and the second compares
the display behavior and morphology among populations and
relates these to island area and to vegetation heights and densi-
ties. The next five chapters discuss laboratory and field studies
of sexually dimorphic antipredator behavior in Green Iguanas,
determinants of mating success by male Galapagos Marine
Iguanas (Amblyrhynchus cristatus) in leks (defined as “clusters of
territorial males”), environmental determinants of body size in
Marine Iguanas (the “shrinking iguanas” mentioned above),
Chuckwallas (Sauromalus obesus), and Desert Iguanas
(Dipsosaurus dorsalis), and factors affecting the long-term growth
of the Allen’s Cays Rock Iguana (C. cychlura inornata). The lat-
ter chapter also considers the effects of human visitation.

The final section consists of seven chapters devoted to con-
servation. Topics include translocation strategies, headstarting,
habitat restoration, the role of zoos, and the potential impact of
ecotourism. All of these chapters are based on studies conducted
in the West Indies. Despite this limitation, this section of the

60 IGUANA  •  VOLUME 11, NUMBER 1  •  MARCH 2004 BOOK REVIEWS

B O O K  R E V I E W S



IGUANA  •  VOLUME 11, NUMBER 1  •  MARCH 2004 61BOOK REVIEWS

book should attract the broadest readership because all of the
topics included are applicable to reptiles and animals other than
iguanid lizards.

The book is well-produced, with a solid binding, tight edit-
ing, and a general absence of typographical errors. The tables
and graphical illustrations are uniformly unambiguous and
informative, and the black and white photographs are clearly
reproduced. A small complaint: reproducing some of the latter
in color would have been nice. Although the volume had its ori-
gins in a symposium held over six years prior to publication, the
chapters are remarkably up-to-date, and this distinguishes it
from many other symposium volumes that have seen long delays
between the oral presentations and publication. Of the 906 ref-
erences in the Literature Cited, 218 (24%) were published in
1998 or later, the most recent in 2003. In fact, for students of
iguanid biology, the Literature Cited section will be a treasure.

I have only one major complaint about the book: the title,
Iguanas: Biology and Conservation, is misleading. The bulk of the
book (and the entire section on conservation) concerns West
Indian iguanas, primarily a few species of Cyclura. Fijian Iguanas
are barely mentioned, only one (of five) species of Chuckwallas
is discussed in detail, and none of the 17 species of Spiny-tailed
Iguanas are addressed beyond their inclusion in the checklist.

This may reflect the origins of the book in a symposium held in
1997, when Mexican biologists were just beginning to study var-
ious aspects of the biology of Spiny-tailed Iguanas, or it may
reflect the interests of the editors, all of whom have emphasized
West Indian Rock Iguanas in their own research, or both.
Regardless, the book would have benefited from contributions
on, at least, the conservation status of a broader range of iguanid
genera and species. As it stands, subtitling the book “Biology and
Conservation with Emphasis on the West Indies and the Galápagos”
might have been appropriate. In this one respect, the new book
does not match its predecessor.

Like the Burghardt and Rand volume, this book is
intended primarily for the professional biologist who studies
lizards, but it will be of interest to others as well. Private breed-
ers of iguanas will find much useful information in the chapters
on ecology and behavior. Conservation biologists and, indeed,
anyone with an interest in these fascinating lizards will find the
chapters on conservation interesting and informative. Hopefully,
in a decade or so, a third volume in this budding series will more
fully acknowledge the diversity within the family Iguanidae.

Arthur C. Echternacht
University of Tennessee

Johnston, Tony. 1995. The Iguana Brothers: A Tale of Two
Lizards. Illustrated by Mark Teague. Blue Sky Press, New York,
New York. 30 pp. Cloth, $15.95.
Laden, Nina. 1995. Private I. Guana: The Case of the Missing
Chameleon. Illustrated by the author. Chronicle Books, San
Francisco, California. 26 pp. Softcover, $5.95.
Krailing, Tessa. 1998. The Pet Sitter’s Club 8: Where’s Iggy.
Illustrated by Jan Lewis. Barron’s Educational Series, Inc.,
Hauppauge, New York. 94 pp. Softcover, $3.95.
Snicket, Lemony. 1999. A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 2:
The Reptile Room. Illustrated by Brett Helquist. HarperCollins
Publishers Inc., New York, New York. 191 pp. Cloth, $10.99.
Wiebe, Trina. 2000. Abby and Tess Pet sitters: Lizards Don’t Wear
Lip Gloss. Illustrated by Marisol Sarrazin. Lobster Press,
Montreal, Quebec. 91 pp. Softcover, $5.95.

As both a student and a fan of children’s literature, I have
long been fascinated by its ability to shape the imagination

of readers young and old. I recently had the opportunity to
spend some time in the children’s book section of a well-stocked
bookstore, where I came across a number of reptile-related works
of fiction, which provide some very different representations of
their animal subjects.

Two of these books were quite similar, featuring groups of
children who are “pet-sitting” reptiles that escape from their
enclosures. In Where’s Iggy?, published in the UK, the iguana
named in the title seems well cared for, housed in a large terrar-
ium in a greenhouse and outfitted with a heat lamp, a climbing
branch, and a water tray. However, the owner of the lizard
instructs the children that Iggy “doesn’t eat a lot, mainly cabbage
leaves and bananas … and crickets.” So, where’s Iggy? His loca-

Iguanas in Wonderland:
The Depiction of Reptiles in 

Children’s Literature

�