Reptile & Amphibian Forums

There are a few people selling the regular Spinney-tailed Iguana (Ctenosaura Similis) as the rare mexican Black Spinney-tailed iguana (Ctenosaura Pectinata.) There is a big difference in price and availability between both species.

C. Similis are readily available as imports and from feral populations here in Florida for as low as $5.00 for babies to $100.00 for Adults.

C. Pectinata is only available from breeders and from feral populations here in Miami, Florida and the prices range from $80.00 to $100.00 for wild caught babies, $200.00+ for captive born. and Adults (if you can find them) $200 to $500.00.

Here is a pic of a true C. Pectinata (one of the many morphs)
Manny

Here is a pic of a Juvenile C. Pectinata.

Babies are jade green with litle or no markings/ patterns when they are born. Banana phases turn brownish a little while after they are born then gradually turn yellow. The ones here in Miami, Florida tend to stay green for a majority of thier juvenile and sub-adult life, but there is always an exception to the rule. I have caught grayish colored and rust colored babies.

These are new borns.

but wasn't positive enough to say something. Where are the similis native to? Is it anywhere in MX? I thought is was further south.

I am not 100% sure but I beleive they are throughout Southwestern Mexico all the way to Panama and some carribean islands. They have been introduced to Florida and are widespread. They are common and have been misidentified on Gaspirilla as being C. Pectinata. I myself went there and observed only C. Similis.

Here is a pic of an adult C. Similis I caught here in Miami.

They are said to be very common in the yucatan, and it would be a good bet that at the same latitude south they live where ever the same hot humid climate exists in Mexico. Schwarze Leguane (Gunther Kholer's Book in german) shows them ranging all the way to the west side of the Panama Canal. They are also said to coexist on utila and Roatan off Honduras. They are definetely look at as food where this one was photographed at long distance near Puerto Cortes, Honduras.

Wow, nice picture display -- Thanks. Had no idea they could be so expensive.

Is there some way to positively identify these? I am pretty sure I have one of the more common Ctenosaurs, but I am having trouble comparing the photos. My son bought the thing (Houdini) from a pet shop where they don't know much about reptiles at all. It was labeled "spiny tail iguana" and that's it. It's only about a year old, so I'm assuming it may not be showing it's adult coloring and shape.

The one site that described identification talks about counting scales or whorls or something that just isn't making sense to me. The site only describes two types, so if she's not one of those even if I figure it out, I don't have enough information.

I don't really need to identify Houdini precisely, but want to make sure we are providing the best possible care.

Post a pic, and I'm sure I or someone here can identify it. We will never possitively identify it with just a written or verbal description.

The whorl count is considered by some authorities to be one of the most efficient methods of differentiating C. similis from C. pectinata (along with the number of scales between the front crest - the comb of pointed scales over the back - and the back crest - over the tail).

Both of these methods have poven themselves statistically valid (look up the paper "The identity of Spiny-tailed Iguanas, Ctenosaura, introduced to Florida, USA" Townsend & Enge. Herpetozoa 16. 2003 - it will pull up on google as a pdf file). So, what is the whorl count?

C. similis and C. pectinata have rings that go around the tails made up of very spiny scales. We'll call those rings "S". Each ring "S" is separated by a couple of rings of regular scales (some references call them intercalaries), which we'll call "I". Between the third, fourth and fifth "S" rings, the number of "I" rings to be found differs between C. similis and C. pectinata. Between each ring "S" numbers three, four and five (counting from the base of the tail to the tip), there are usually two "I" rings in C. similis and three or more "I" rings in C. pectinata. So, to illustrate (yep, with grammatical symbols) how that might look on the two lizard species...

C. similis: 3S-I-I-4S-I-I-5S
C. pectinata: 3S-I-I-I-4S-I-I-I-5S

To make this rediculousness even more fun, C. pectinata can have not just three, but up to seven or so rows of intercalaries between each spiny ring. Another helpful feature is that C. similis almost always (some old males get too dark) have black bands around the posterior half of the body; C. pectinata do not tend to have bands (even as juveniles). The heads of the two species look different, but you need both to compare on that one. Pictures posted on this thread and on www.community.webshots.com may prove helpful. The younger the animal is, the trickier the "S" ring/ "I" ring count is (because the scales are so darn small).

Now, to round this off, I'll make the potential for a positive i.d. much easier. Most petshop spinytails originate from one of two places - exports from countries like Nicaragua or El Salvador, or from captures in south Florida.

C. similis is found in every Central American country that exports reptiles. C. pectinata is found in only one country, Mexico, which does not export reptiles.

C. similis is found in many parts of south Florida, whereas C. pectinata has a comparatively small range of introduction in the Miami area. Many field guides erroneously list C. pectinata as the species that has the larger range in Florida.

Since importation is now largely limited to C. similis (of ALL the Ctenosaura species), it is unlikely that you have anything else (especially if the animal was not too expensive). Regardless, the basic care for the larger Ctenosaurs falls within similar parameters. In short, no worries.

You stole the words right out of my mouth//Lol.. no. LMAO

I took a look at your photos when you posted the link on IguanaDen. Houdini is a Ctenosaura similis. Hard to tell sex at that age and from the photos but I'd guess female. Keep up the socializing exercises that you are doing and you'll have a wonderful companion lizard.

Here's one of my boys, Ctolsoy.

and an adult female.

Thanks for the conformation. I was pretty sure that is what she is, but some of the photos I've seen look so different. She is just one year old, though, and I think the appearance can change substantially as they grow.

The pet store sold her as a spiney tailed iguana--but considering that they told my son to feed her lettuce and that she didn't need any special lighting, I'm a little disinclined to take their word for anything.

I think their care instructions could easily be retitled "How to kill an iguana before it gets too big for a fish tank"

Real care instructions for any sort of ctenosaur are a bit hard to find. The few things I've read don't seem to have a consensus. For now, she's eating something like a green iguana diet, but her habitat has more "caves" than climbing structures.

She doesn't like to be grabbed and hates the harness, but tolerates it for the freedom she has while harnessed. She can not free roam until she is big enough to find easily. Or until we move to a house that has fewer hiding places.

She likes climbing on people and eats out of our hands. Of course, if it's a banana or strawberry bit, she'd take it any way she could get it.
Houdini photos

do you live in miami, fl? i do. i was wondering if you knew of any reptile rescues or any other rescues that have reptiles. i didnt know that the spiny tail was introduced here. i see green iguanas everywhere especially around miller. anyways yeah thats what i wanted to know. my friend got a spiny tail and doesnt know much about it so im researching for him.
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