Iguanas rock, and rock iguana’s doubly so. We check out the status of the Bahamas dwindling populations of Cay-dwelling rock iguana with stories of rampaging raccoons, troublesome translocations and polite pirates. Species of the Bi-week is a micro-endemic treat from Madagascar. FULL REFERENCE LIST AVAILABLE AT: herphighlights.podbean.com

Main Paper References:

Hayes, W. K., Iii, R. A. E., Fry, S. K., Fortune, E. M., Wasilewski, J. A., Tuttle, D. M., … Carter, R. L. (2016). Conservation Of The Endangered Sandy Cay Rock Iguanas (Cyclura rileyi cristata): Invasive Species Control, Population Response, Pirates, Poaching, And Translocation. Herpetological Conservation and Biology, 16.

Hayes, W. K., Jr, S. C., Crutchfield, T., Wasilewski, J. A., Rothfus, T. A., & Carter, R. L. (2016). Conservation Of The Endangered San Salvador Rock Iguanas (Cyclura rileyi rileyi): Population Estimation, Invasive Species Control, Translocation, And Headstarting. Herpetological Conservation and Biology, 17.

Species of the Bi-Week:

Miralles, A., Glaw, F., Ratsoavina, F. M., & Vences, M. (2015). A likely microendemic new species of terrestrial iguana, genus Chalarodon, from Madagascar. Zootaxa, 3946(2), 201. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3946.2.3

Other mentioned papers:

Honebrink, R., Buch, R., Galpin, P., & Burgess, G. H. (2011). First documented attack on a live human by a cookiecutter shark (Squaliformes, Dalatiidae: Isistius sp.). Pacific Science, 65(3), 365-375.

Malone, C.L., T. Wheeler, J.F. Taylor, and S.K. Davis. 2000. Phylogeography of the Caribbean rock iguana (Cyclura): implications for conservation and insights on the biogeographic history of the West Indies. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 17:269–279.

Other Links/Mentions:

Link to Ants Canada vs blind snake: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4b4H979ia-E

Link to HerpConBio edition: http://www.herpconbio.org/contents_vol11_Monograph6.html

Music:

Intro/outro – Treehouse by Ed Nelson

Other Music – The Passion HiFi, www.thepassionhifi.com