February 5, 2016: Meet Cteni Tom the Iguana

There’s a lot of wildlife here.  Costa Rica has over 400 species of reptiles and amphibians.  In our backyard there’s a big iguana who spends his days sunning himself on his favorite corner of the shed roof.  If you get too close he becomes agitated and does push-ups. Iguana Tom #1 640

I asked the biologists his name and they said he didn’t have one!  That had to change.  We settled on Cteni Tom, pronounced “Teeny Tom.”  (The C is silent.)  That’s because he is a Spinytail Iguana, Ctenosaura similis.  They are plant eaters, active by day. Iguana Tom #2 640

Tom is a handsome adult with a big dorsal crest – the spikes along his back.  He is about a foot and a half long.  A few other iguanas share his space, but not for long.  The special corner is his. Iguana Tom #3 640

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