CTENOSAURA SIMILIS (Black Spiny-tailed Iguana) PREDATION

Authors

Richard M. Engeman, USDA-APHIS-Wildlife ServicesFollow
Missy L. Christie, Charlotte County Environmental & Extension Services, Florida
Bernice Constantin, USDA-Wildlife Services
Robert Christie, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Florida Park Service, Gasparilla Island State Park, Boca Grande, Florida

Date of this Version

January 2007

Comments

Published in Herpetological Review 38(4), 2007.

Abstract

The Exotic Amphibians and Reptiles of Florida. Krieger Publishing Co., Malabar, Florida. 155 pp.). In particular, they were released on Gasparilla Island (Charlotte and Lee Counties) 3&35 years ago, where they are now abundant (Krysko et al. 2003. Florida Sci. 66:141-146). This species may pose a threat to a number of endemic threatened and endangered species on Gasparilla Island such as eggs of nesting shore birds, beach mice, hatchling sea turtles and gopher tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus) (Krysko et al., op. cit.), but to date, local predators on C. similis are unreported (Meshaka et al., op. cit.). Indigenous predators might exert one controlling influence on exotic Florida herpetofauna (Butterfield et al. 1997. In Simberloff et al. [eds.], Strangers in Paradise, pp. 123-138. Island Press, Washington, DC). Hence, we report evidence of Bobcat (Felis rufus) predation on C. similis on Gasparilla Island.