Cyclura Nubila Caymanensis - Anatomy and Morphology

Anatomy and Morphology

The Lesser Caymans Iguana, Cyclura nubila caymanensis, is a medium to large animal with an average total length between 30 and 40 inches. Males are significantly larger than females. The Lesser Caymans Iguana has a skin color from light grey to green when mature, with a light blue or reddish-pink colored head, whereas females are more olive green, lacking any red or blue. Young animals tend to be uniformly dark brown or green with faint dark bands. Their distinctive black feet stand in contrast to the rest of their lighter overall body color. Their eye-color is typically brown to blood red. An individual of this subspecies has been recorded as one of the longest lived of all species and subspecies of the genus Cyclura at 33 years.

Being much lager than females, males have more prominent dorsal crests in addition to prominent femoral pores on their thighs, which are used to release pheromones. Females have less prominent pores and have shorter crests than the males making the animals sexually dimorphic.

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