Critically Endangered
Fiji Crested Iguana
Brachylophus vitiensis
Fiji Crested Iguana is a lizard or snake in the family Iguanidae — Brachylophus vitiensis, recorded as Critically Endangered.
Appearance
The Fiji crested iguana is a large stocky lizard distinguished from the Fiji banded iguana by the presence of three narrow, cream to white colored bands on males, rather than the broader bluish bands of the latter species. When Fiji crested iguanas first hatch from their eggs they are dark green, but after several hours their skin becomes bright emerald green and narrow white bands can be seen along their body. Their eyes are reddish orange or pinkish gold in color.
Fiji Crested Iguana is distinguished by its larger size growing to 75 centimetres (30 in) in length and weighing as much as 300 grams (0.66 lb).
Range and habitat
B. Vitiensis is found on the islands of Fiji, in the South Pacific. The species is restricted to tropical dry forests, specifically to the rain shadow forests located on certain islands in Fiji. A small population of the Fiji crested iguana – fewer than 80 individuals – can be found on the small island of Macuata.
The Fiji crested iguana or Fijian crested iguana is a critically endangered species of iguana native to some of the northwestern islands of the Fijiian archipelago, where it is found in dry forest on Yadua Taba (west of Vanua Levu), Yadua, Macuata, Yaquaga, Devuilau (Goat island), Malolo, Monu and Monuriki. The vegetation on the island during this time was severely depleted by a combination of grazing and fires used to drive goats for ease of capture.
Pins are Wikidata “endemic to” fields. Orange dots, when present, are GBIF occurrence tiles — survey bias included.
Diet and breeding
The Fiji crested iguana is a diurnal creature that tends to live under the shade of trees and will seek sunlight/heat on days with cool temperature. Fiji crested iguanas are predominantly herbivorous feeding on the leaves, fruits, shoots, and flowers from trees and shrubs.
The breeding season takes place between March and April, with courtship and mating commencing in January. Female iguanas are usually found defending the eggs and guard the nest of four to six eggs.
In crisis
The biggest threat the Fiji crested iguana faces is habitat loss due to fires, storms, agricultural development, and competition from feral goats. Goats were introduced to Yadua Taba in 1972 and numbered over 200 by the late 1970s. As a result, the dry forest on the island has recovered to a great extent and is the best remaining example of Pacific dry forest.
A secondary threat is introduced predators in the forms of rats, mongooses, and cats that prey on the Fiji crested iguana and its eggs. A major threat to the Fiji crested iguana is posed by introduced predators such as feral cats, rats, and mongooses.
Fiji Crested Iguana is Critically Endangered on this catalog because that is the IUCN category stored on Wikidata. Confirm the official criteria and any later count on iucnredlist.org.
Sources
Written for this catalog from the English Wikipedia article on Fiji Crested Iguana, Wikidata item Q586433. Family and order context is original field-guide writing about the group, not a copied assessment of this one species. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA. Not an IUCN assessment. Counts, when quoted, can change — confirm them on the recovery programme and on iucnredlist.org.
