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Last updated January 1, 2014

Plants Consumed by Iguanas in the Wild

©2002 Melissa Kaplan

 

The question every iguana keeper asks, sooner or later, is "What do iguanas eat in the wild?" Logic tells us that they don't eat alfalfa and shredded squash, so, what do they eat?

The answer, alas, isn't as easy as it could be. For one thing, iguanas range from Mexico down through Central America and into South America. They can be found in areas where the the habitat has not undergone much in the way of change. They can also be found in areas that have undergone massive changes, such as the building of the Panama Canal, which included the formation of a huge lake and new islands. Some iguanas live in semi-arid areas, others in wet forested areas. Some live on the Atlantic coast, others on the Pacific coast, while others never see any body of water larger than a river.

The other problem is that, while naturalists and biologists have been studying iguanas in the wild for decades, few have bothered to note the plants they eat. Some biologists have studied the colon structure and looked at colon and stomach contents, but didn't identify all of the plants found therein. Because some biologists have been identifying the plants that the iguanas in their study areas ate, we can start to construct a list.

Iguanas do not eat all of the plants in their habitat, nor do they eat the plants they do eat all year round. They may eat the leaves at certain times of the year, while at other times of year, eat only the flowers of those plants, or only mature leaves rather than young leaves. So, while the list below may contain information on the plant and plant part, it cannot be assumed that all or part of the plant is eaten all year long.

The list below includes the botanical name and, when found, one or more common names, and a reference to the source in which the plant was mentioned.

Ref#

Plant Name

Family

Common Names

2

Acacia tortuosa

Leguminosae

poponax

1

Amphilophium paniculatum

Bignoniaceae       

liana de cuello

1

Annona acuminata

Annonaceae      

[custard-apple family; related to pawpaw]

2 Antirhea acutata

Rubiaceae

placa chiquitu

2 Bourreria succulenta

Ehretiaceae

bodywood

2 Bursera bonairensis

Burseraceae

.

1

Bursera simaruba

Burseraceae

gumbo limbo

2

Capparis flexuosa

Capparidaceae

false teeth

1

Capparis frondosa

Capparidaceae

Syn. C. baducca=Caper

2 Capparis odoratissima

Capparidaceae

.

2

Caesalpinia coriaria

Leguminosae

[Caesalpinioideae] divi divi

1

Cardiospermum grandiflorum

Sapindaceae

showy balloonvine

1

Cecropia peltata

Moraceae

pumpwood

1

Centrosema plumieri

Leguminosae

feefee

2 Cephalocereus lanuginosus

Cactaceae

Syn: Espostoa sp., Pilosocereus sp., Pachycereus sp.

1

Ceratophytum tetragonolobum

Bignoniaceae       

.

2 Cereus repandus

Cactaceae

.

1

Chamaesyce densiflora

Euphorbiaceae

.

1

Cissus sicyoides

Vitaceae

princess vine; season vine

1

Citrullus sp.

Cucurbitaceae

watermelon, han ua, hsi kua, melon d'eau, patilla, qarbuz, raggi, semongka, shuti, yang ch'i kua

2 Coccoloba swartzii

Polygonaceae

Swartz's pigeonplum

2 Commicarpus scandens

Nyctaginaceae

Syn. Boerhavia scandens; climbing wartclub

2 Condalia henriquezii

Rhamnaceae

.

2 Cordia alba

Ehretiaceae

white manjack

2 Cordia currassavica

Ehretiaceae

.

1

Coutarea hexandra

Rubiaceae

capança

1

Cucumis sp.

Cucurbitaceae

cantaloupe, common melon, orange melon, honeydew melon, figleaf cucumis, gooseberry gourd and others

1

Cyperus sp.

Cyperaceae

flatsedge, umbrella sedge, umbrella plant

2 Erythalis fructicosa

.

yaya, yayabito, yayajabico

1

Ficus sp.

Moraceae

fig trees, banyan

1

Genipa americana

.

.

1

Gouania lupuloides

Rhamnaceae

whiteroot

2

Guapira sp.

Nyctaginaceae

beeftree, black mampoo, roundleaf blolly, corcho prieto

2 Haematoxilon brasiletto

.

.

1 Ipomea sp.

Convolvulaceae

morning glory bush

1

Laportea aestuans

Urticacecae

West Indian woodnettle

2 Lemairocereus griseus

.

.

2 Machaonia otonis

Rubiaceae

..

2 Malpighia emarginata

Malpighiaceae

Barbados cherry

1

Merremia quinquefolia

Convolvulaceae 

rock rosemary

1

Merremia umbellata

Convolvulaceae 

hogvine

2 Metopium brownei

Anacardiaceae

.

1

Momordica charantia

Cucurbitaceae

balsampear

1

Operculina pteripes

Convolvulaceae 

.

1

Pisonia aculeata

Nyctaginaceae

pullback

1

Pithecellobium oblongum

Leguminosae

sweet acacia

1

Pouteria sp.

Sapotaceae

abiu, cocuyo, egg fruit, jacana, redmammee

2 Randia aculeata

Rubiaceae

white indigoberry

1

Sapium biglandolsum

Euphorbiaceae

.

2 Serjania curassavica

Sapindaceae

.

1

Spondias mombin

Anacardiaceae

yellow mombin

1

Stictocardia tiIiifolia

Convolvulaceae 

spotted heart

1

Tecoma stans

Bignoniaceae         

yellow trumpetbush; desert willow

2 Trichilia trifolia

Meliaceae

.

 

 

 

1

Rand et al. The diet of a generalized folivore: Iguana iguana in Panama. 1990.
Panama

2.

van Marken Lichtenbelt. Optimal foraging of a herbivorous lizard, I. iguana. 1993.
Curaçao

 

Sites used to find common names and synonyms

HortiPlex Database
New York Botanical Garden
Plants for a Future
The 1911 Encyclopedia: Cuba
Tree Atlas of the Panama Canal Watershed

www.anapsid.org/iguana/wildigdiet.html

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