THE STAR (Indianapolis, Indiana) 30 August 06 Rare iguanas hatched at Indy zoo
Three endangered Jamaican iguanas have been hatched at the Indianapolis Zoo, officials said today.
It was believed to be the first time the breed has been hatched outside Jamaica. What’s more, the iguanas are thought to be the first hatched via artificial incubation.
The hatchlings are about 8 inches long and weigh a little less than 1.8 ounces.
Zoo officials said Jamaican iguanas are considered the second rarest lizard in the world, with only about 100 still surviving in the wild. They are just slightly less endangered than their cousin, the Grand Cayman blue iguana.
“Chester,” age 15, and “Myrtle,” 14, are the parents of the first three hatchlings.
One additional baby could emerge from the group of eggs that yielded the hatchlings, and the zoo has a second group of 20 viable eggs that are scheduled to hatch in one to two weeks.
The Jamaican iguana was thought to have become extinct in the 1940s. They were rediscovered in 1990 in the Hellshire Hills of Jamaica by a pig farmer and his dog.
Rare iguanas hatched at Indy zoo