Clove gave a full-throated baying alert - the first fat-bellied female iguana of the nesting season was investigating one of the sites we have enhanced to attract egg-laden females! Iguanas love these sites that are simply large logs placed on top of mounds of river sand that we brought in. Later in the season, females will be competing for prime spots; digging up each other's eggs and tossing them aside with abandon. It gets brutal! For now, this what we saw:
The lone female walked around for quite a while, ignoring me and Clove up on the veranda watching her. Later on I went to the site and saw that she had started a couple of holes. This one looks promising. I bet she will work on it more this afternoon. |
| The hole at the edge of the sand mound. They dig in 3 to 5 feet of tunnels that sometimes interconnect. |
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| The hole is about 10 inches wide at this point. |
Soon, other females will add more holes and the egg-laying will commence. We expect to see little bright green iguanas starting in May.
Good luck to the new mothers - both human and reptilian!
ReplyDeleteSo far humans and reptiles are doing fine! Thansk!
DeleteExciting and very cool!
ReplyDeleteI love being in the midst of nature.
DeleteMay all the babies be healthy!
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping we will be overrun with active bright green hatchlings!
DeleteI can just imagine a lady iguana looking at a male and saying, "Hey there, big boy. Wanna check out my tunnels?"
ReplyDeleteIguanas always look pissed off to me. They are absolutely fascinating animals.
Lol - Did you write this after your Friday evening martini? I think they look haughty with their noses up in the air. I am so happy to have them nesting over here.
DeleteDid Clove think it was 'Lunch'. :-)
ReplyDeleteClove would love iguana - and their eggs - for lunch.
DeleteWhy are the logs an inducement for them to nest there in addition to the sand? I've never seen a pregnant iguana before--she certainly must be carrying a lot of eggs.
ReplyDeleteFor some reason, they like to dig under logs - I have no idea why! They also like to climb on top of the logs and survey the area. Her belly will get even bigger before she actually lays any eggs. I hope I can get more photos and videos.
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