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The green iguana is the true iguana, scholars say.

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For iguanas to continue existing and showing us the kind of prehistoric creatures they actually are, human sensitivity has set in around many parts of the Caribbean Basin.

Iguanas got luckier than dinosaurs, their far-off cousins. Despite making their first appearance on the face of the planet back in the Pleistocene Era, iguanas remain alive and kicking in the 21st century.

A quick glimpse at an iguana lets you know that's a very old reptile you're looking at. Their thick skin and scale-covered back resembling an armored comb turn them into quite hideous creatures, stripped of the charisma of the starring dinosaurs that wowed the world a few years ago in Stephen Spielberg's movies.

Some scholars believe iguanodons that trampled the earth millions of years ago were herbivorous. But there's nothing like evolution and today's iguanas keep on an omnivorous diet: mollusks, snakes, worms, buds and leftovers. The fact of the matter is these critters fought their way up to survival.

Iguanas dwell in coastal areas all along the tropical and subtropical beltways of the planet. This mixture of sand and rocks makes the perfect habitat for them as they lodge in their favorite hideouts: dens between 12 and 20 centimeters wide by 310 centimeters long that they carve for themselves.

The green iguana is the true iguana, scholars say. In the Caribbean Basin, they can be found along the shorelines of a number of countries from Mexico down to Central America and all the way to Colombia, as well as in the Lesser Antilles. In the Greater Antilles –Cuba is part of this group of larger islands- there's a much smaller subspecies called cyclura nubile. There's also the blue newt of the Cayman Islands (cyclura nubila lewisi). In the Bahamas, Jamaica, Turks Islands and other islets, the cyclura is commonplace, too.

Probably one of the largest populations of iguanas is clustered in Cuba, where there are six species and sixteen subspecies of the cyclura. Some unadventurous figures point to over a thousand of those crawling creatures living on the island nation, a strong reason to believe the warning red light must be on as they edge to the brink of extinction.

In Haiti and Santo Domingo, the horned cyclura –more aggressive that its Cuban cousin- sports a fingernail-looking horn on the snout. In the Lesser Antilles, travelers can find another delicatessen-style lizard. The Cuban kind of cyclura is known as the cyclura nubila nubila.

Fast mover, good runner and great jumper The body of an iguana resembles that of a very stalwart gecko with overall slow-motion moves. In the clutch of time, however, these big lizards can equally sprint and even hop. If you looked up the word iguana in a dictionary, you could probably find the following definition: four-leg reptile of brawny and chubby body. It has a handsaw-like dorsal comb and floppy tissue hanging from under the neck that it usually shrinks –not expands as some might think- when it's annoyed. The armor look and creased skin give it away as what it really is: a prehistoric animal. Its cheeks are covered by hard plates, probably to provide some protection as the iguana creeps through the rocky den it calls home.

The feet of the iguana end in powerful claws or paws. The front claws serve as some kind of backhoe to remove soil on its way through the tunnel, while the rear ones are used to cover the drilled holes.

There's certain level of organization inside the dens, no matter of many tenants they might have. Experts explain the fierce look of the iguanas is much ado about nothing. Sometimes they open up their mouths and show rows of sharp teeth that can't look any more menacing. However, they never attack unless they're teased or forced to. They can even get to identify voices and eat out of anyone's hand.

In every iguana colony, the pack is steered by a dominant male. He's the first to eat when they're offered some food. After the leader had its fill, then its “lieutenants” follow suit. Then comes the most aggressive female and finally the rest of the iguanas. Some tourists have had the opportunity of photographing the funny show of an iguana standing on its rear legs trying to catch a high fruit or flower dangling from a shrub.

As a general rule, iguanas are aerial rather than ground creatures. That means they can climb trees to get their food. Nevertheless, the cyclura of the Greater Antilles likes it closer to the ground. By and large, this is an animal that fears man. Like all reptiles, the body of the iguana needs the temperature of the environment in order to regulate its own temp. In a word, iguanas need sunlight to keep their bodies warm, a reason that explains why they remain holed up in their dens during windy or rainy weather.

Iguanas and Sex Iguanas reach sexual maturity around the age of four or five. The mating season –in the case of the cyclura- usually stretches from March to September, and from October to May in the case of the green iguana. The male follows the strong smell of the pheromones given off by the female, a kind of volatile sexual hormone they discharge when they are ready to mate.

After that, the female lays from five to 24 eggs (cyclura) and as many as 35 in the case of the green iguana. The white eggs are carefully deposited in a hole carved in the sand. If the temperature is high, the incubation period could take between 60 to 70 days, and up to 90 days in cold weather. Every once in a while, the female iguana roves around the nest. Once the eggs have been hatched, the tiny offspring push the layer of sand that protects their breeding ground. Then every tiny iguana goes its own way and heads to the coastal mangroves in search of a proper hideout.

Sometimes they have close encounters with lurking cats, wild dogs and mongooses. Cuban iguanas could weigh as many as five kilograms, while green ones usually tip the balance between 10 and 12 kilos.

Iguanas are also excellent swimmers that usually ferry their own way from one key to another. Their earshot and eyesight are somewhat good. The best places to watch iguanas in Cuba are Cayo Largo del Sur (specifically on Iguana Key), on Cayo Guillermo, Cayo Coco, Cayo Romano and Cayo Santa Maria. Moving westward, there's no better safe haven for iguanas than the Peninsula de Guanahacabibes Marine National Park, though they can also be found in the craggy and less inhabited northern coastline of the island nation. They can been seen basking in the sun in an effort to regulate their body temperature.

Despite not being aggressive critters for the sake of it, if they are attacked –something we do not recommend- iguanas can hit hard with their tails, bite and slit huge gashes with their claws. But we know good-mannered travelers will simply respect the special space this reptile has won for itself in the realm of nature.

It's commonplace to have iguanas in the meals of several Caribbean countries –some say the meat tastes like shellfish- and save the skin for a number of purposes. In Cuba, fortunately, such a habit is not so widespread, regardless of the fact that authorities are concerned about their dwindling numbers. Cuba's tourist expansion projects are designed with a view to avoid any harm to the coastal rocky formations they find shelter in. Besides, people have been informed –mainly peasants and farmers- who mistakenly believe that iguanas maim their fowls and have therefore hunted them down for years.

So, for iguanas to continue existing and showing us the kind of prehistoric creatures they actually are, human sensitivity has set in around many parts of the Caribbean Basin.