Iguanas in Palm Beach County

November 4, 2008

From the Desk of Commissioner McCarty

Currently, iguanas are considered exotic unprotected wildlife in the state of Florida.  As a result of the rising population and concerned citizens in our area, on July 8, 2008 the Board of County Commissioners adopted a resolution calling for state wildlife officials to place green iguanas on the “reptiles of concern” list.  Iguanas are not native to Florida and so are not protected here, except by anti-cruelty laws.

It is illegal to release iguanas in Florida (39-4.005 Florida Administrative Code). Currently, they can be captured and removed from private property at any time without special permits unless local authorities have ordinances that may limit control options. Only live traps and snares are legal in our state and should be considered a last resort.  Traditional live animal traps baited with grapes, pieces of ripe melon, papaya, or mango can be very effective. 

Iguanas can be a problem, but they can also be fun to watch. Iguana is a genus of lizard native to tropical areas of Central and South America and the Caribbean. The meat of adult iguanas and the eggs are eaten and considered a delicacy throughout their native range, especially during Easter week. The green iguana is a popular imported pet and many have escaped or been released, and are now well established in Palm Beach County.  There are three members of the iguana family that are present in South Florida:  the common green iguana (Iguana iguana), the Mexican spiny-tailed iguanas (Ctenosaura pectinata) and the black spiny-tailed iguana (C.similis). 

Iguanas like to bask in open areas, sidewalks, docks, seawalls and canals. If frightened, they dive into water.  Diving into the water to escape makes green iguanas very difficult to capture. Males are territorial against other males, but are not territorial against females and juveniles.  Adult iguanas are large, powerful animals that can bite, cause severe scratch wounds with their extremely sharp claws, and deliver a painful slap with their powerful tail.  Iguanas normally avoid people but will defend themselves against pets and people who try to catch or corner them.

Adult iguanas feed on foliage, flowers and fruit. They will occasionally eat animal material such as insects, lizards, small animals, nesting birds and eggs. Juveniles eat more animal material, especially insects. Damage caused by iguanas includes eating valuable landscape plants, shrubs, trees, orchids, berries, figs, mangos, tomatoes, bananas, lychees, and more. Iguanas do not eat citrus. Protect valuable plants with cages or screen enclosures. There are currently no repellents registered for preventing feeding damage from iguanas. Avoid planting species that are preferred food for iguanas such as hibiscus, orchids, impatiens, roses, nasturtiums, garden greens, squashes, melons, many fruits and flowers.

For more information on iguanas, contact the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at 625-5122 or at www.MYFWC.com. Source: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu. 

As always, I am here to serve you. Your concerns and questions are important to me, so please do not hesitate to contact me at 561-276-1220 or email me at mmccarty@pbcgov.org. 

Mary McCarty, Commissioner, District IV
Palm Beach County