Diet
Like all Cyclura species, the Cuban iguana is primarily herbivorous; 95% of its diet consists of the leaves, flowers and fruits from as many as 30 plant species, including the seaside rock shrub (Rachicallis americana), thistle, prickly pear (Opuntia stricta), black mangrove (Avicennia germinans), red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle), olives, and various grasses. Aiding in the digestion of this high-cellulose diet, colonies of nematodes occupy 50% of the contents of Cuban iguanas' large intestines. Cuban iguanas occasionally consume animal matter, and individuals have been observed scavenging the corpses of birds, fish and crabs. Researchers on Isla Magueyes observed a single episode of cannibalism in 2006 when an adult female iguana chased, caught, and ate a hatchling. The researchers wrote that the dense population on Isla Magueyes could have caused this incident.
Like other herbivorous lizards, the Cuban iguana is presented with a problem for osmoregulation: plant matter contains more potassium and has less nutritional content per gram than meat so more must be eaten to meet the lizard's metabolic needs. Unlike those of mammals, reptile kidneys cannot concentrate urine to save on water intake. Instead, reptiles excrete toxic nitrogenous wastes as solid uric acid through their cloaca. In the case of the Cuban iguana, which consumes large amounts of vegetation, these excess salt ions are excreted through the salt gland in the same manner as in birds.
Read more about this topic: Cyclura Nubila
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