The Caribbean Iguana SXM Sint Maarten

You’ve seen them everywhere. Darting among the bushes, high up in the trees or sunning themselves on your neighbor’s roof. Iguanas! Lovely iguanas ranging in color from vibrant green to even orange! Iguanas look like a missing link to the dinosaur age or like something out of a Medieval story about dragons. They may not breathe fire, but they can pack a punch if cornered. How much do you know about this Caribbean icon?

One of the most surprising things about iguanas is their extensive range. Their habit extends from Mexico all the down to Paraguay and Southern Brazil and, of course, the Caribbean. Scientists believe that these clever creatures have hitched rides on boats over the years, extending their range slowly but surely. Think of them as a lizard of the High Seas!

Iguanas live in tropical rainforest areas, generally in lower altitudes in areas near water sources, such as rivers or streams. In South American and Central America, they spend most of their time high in the forest canopy, about 40-50 feet above the ground. However, the iguana can adapt to nearly any area, as long as there is plenty of food to be found. Iguanas are omnivorous, which means they eat both plants and meat. They tend to eat mostly plants, though, especially leaves and fruits. Sometimes young iguanas will eat eggs, insects, and tiny animals, like other lizards. Both male and female iguanas can store fat under their jaws and in their necks for times when there is not much food available. Depending on how much food there is to be had, iguanas can range in size anywhere from six inches to a whooping six feet and eighteen pounds! In some areas of Brazil there have been recorded accounts of iguanas reaching seven feet! Not something you want to tangle with. Keep in mind the overall length does include the tail, which can be as long, if not longer than the body of the lizard. Though the Caribbean iguana is often referred to as the green iguana, it actually comes in a variety of shades. Many green iguanas have green coloring with black tiger stripes. Their body color can range from vibrant green to a grayish green. On St. Maarten/St. Martin bright orange iguanas have been spotted on the French side!

The wonderful color variations of the iguana allow it to hide in the trees, keeping safe from predators. They also have some great adaptations that keep them ahead of anything that may want to hunt them. They have long fingers and claws, five fingers on each ‘hand’. This adaptation, combined with great sense of smell and hearing and superior sight, allows iguanas to travel through the tree tops with surprising speed. They also use the tail as a defense weapon. The tail has a pretty sharp edge and can be used like a whip, swiping at an attacker just like Indiana Jones. The tail can also break off, without a lot of trouble to the lizard, and will grow back in time. If they are spotted by a predator and need to escape quickly, iguanas can dive from trees into water, and swim well. Green iguanas are quite sturdy-- they can fall 40-50 feet to the ground without getting hurt!

Like most reptiles, iguanas are cold blooded. This means they need the warmth of the sun to regulate body temperature. They don’t produce their own body heat. When the weather is cool or cold, so is the iguana. So, the best way for them to keep warm is sunbathing. The favorite past time of any iguana is lying on a warm rock, soaking up the rays of the sun, just like tourists!

Iguanas tend to live solitary lives, but may be seen in groups occasionally in good sunny basking spots. Several areas on St. Maarten host dozens of lizards.  As for making baby iguanas, iguanas lay many eggs at one time, some times fifty in one clutch, in holes in the ground called burrows. These intelligent reptiles also dig pretend burrows to confuse any animals that may be looking for eggs to eat. After female iguanas lay the eggs, they leave them and do not return. It takes green iguana eggs about 8-10 weeks to hatch, then takes baby iguanas about 2 years to become mature adults. When iguana babies hatch, they grow up without care from their parents. Even though a female can lay many eggs, sadly only 3-10 babies actually survive to be adults.

The iguana is threatened by habitat destruction. The green iguana is listed as threatened and on CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as the Washington Convention. The main cause is destruction of the rain forests and demands of the wildlife and pet trade. Many people in the United States and elsewhere want an iguana for a pet, so there is a big demand for their capture. Although many pet iguanas are now being raised on iguana farms, capture from the wild has lowered their numbers. Now there are captive farming operations, based in the country of origin and designed strictly for breeding iguanas as pets. Still, this may have a negative effect on the genetic diversity of the species, as they are being mass-produced. As iguanas are bred in a captive area, they lose their phenotypic and genetic diversity, as cattle do when they are raised on a farm. In attempts to conserve this species, exporters and importers of iguanas are required to obtain permits to move them across country borders. However, once they are in the United States, it is legal for someone to buy them. The pet trade industry has put a great demand on the iguana; 800,000 iguanas were imported into the U.S. in just one year. Sadly, most captive pet iguanas don’t live more than one year, while wild iguanas have a life span of nearly twenty years.

Many people are trying to develop protected areas for the iguanas, and to educate local populations about the importance of conservation. Some of these educational programs help local populations find new ways of using the land, without permanently destroying it. For example, for people who want to continue to eat iguana, programs are being developed to raise these animals for food, instead of hunting wild ones. Iguanas are hunted for meat in the tropics, however this does not seem to have much effect on numbers. Iguana meat is less commonly eaten because it is considered a low class food in most areas, but some indigenous people may depend heavily on it. In Central America, where iguana meat is frequently consumed, iguanas are referred to as "bamboo chicken" or "chicken of the trees." Iguana eggs are sold as a novelty food. They are boiled in salt water and sold at more than twice the price of chicken eggs by weight.

So the next time you see an iguana, take a moment to admire this dinosaur from another time. Appreciate this intelligent creature and smile if you happen to see one hanging around in the tree outside your bedroom window.

Tracing Your Roots - SXM Sint Maarten

It’s a question we ask ourselves many times over the course of our lives: Where does my family come from?  Many of us have wondered about our ancestors and who they were, what they did. One of the most popular hobbies around the world today is genealogy – the study of family history. Discovering your family history is a great and exciting pastime, and with the explosion in resources available, especially the Internet, you can easily find several generations of ancestors. You may surprised what you find!

Tracing your ancestral history is a project just like any other; you should come up with a good plan before you set out searching for information. Without a solid plan, it can be all too easy to get overwhelmed and lost in the huge amounts of information you are sure to come across during your search. Set up an area in your home that can be used while you do your research. A quiet little place where you can store information you find and make notes of your own. A busy kitchen table is not the best place for this adventure.

The first step on your journey into your family’s past is to write down information you already know. Start with yourself. Put down as much information about yourself that you can, regardless of how trivial a piece of information seems. Then list the names of your parents, your grandparents, etc., writing down everything you know about them as well. Official documents are a great asset, if you have them, such as certificates for births, deaths, and marriages as well. Even if you don’t have the actual documents, any time, place and dates can be very useful. Don’t stress out about verifying information just yet. This is just your first step! Now, that wasn’t so painful, was it? You have just completed the first step down the path of your family’s history. You are now ready to move on!

The next step in this process is to gather information from your family members. The best and simplest way to do that is to just simply ask them! This will involve your natural curiosity, as well as some basic interviewing techniques. Your goal is to find out as much information as possible, and knowing how to do this can be helpful. Here are some pointers to help you find out the facts and stories you know are out there just waiting to be uncovered.

Ask the person you wish to interview if they want to talk about the family history. Though the majority of family members will most likely be delighted to speak with you, there may be a few relatives who will be uncooperative or downright hostile. By their nature, family stories are quite personal, and not everyone wishes to share them. Respect that.  Start with a question or subject that will get a complete response, such as a story that you’ve heard the person relate before. You can start off by saying for example: “Tell me about that time you an Uncle Rick went moose hunting…” Avoid general questions, like “Tell me about your school years.” Ask questions that require more than a yes or no answer. Have an idea what direction you would like to go in your questioning, but don’t be dismayed if the person you are interviewing heads down another road. You might get some details you hadn’t anticipated. Again any and all information is important. Using props like photographs and scrapbooks can help to stimulate a response to your questions. Take notes, or preferably, tape record your interviews. Soon after your interviews, write a note of thanks to those whom you interviewed. People like to feel appreciated and many members of your family will certainly be interested in your results.

Now that you have written down what you already know, and have started interviewing family members regarding what they know, it is time to move on to another phase of family history research. This is a step you can do without having to leave your own home! Take a look around your house (or your parents’ or grandparents’ if you need to), and see what family records may be available. These records can be treasure troves of information for the family history researcher. The first place most people think to look is at the family Bible, which has been a traditional place for families to record births, deaths, and marriages. You may also find obituaries and newspaper clippings tucked into the pages. Some of the other types of records you may find include: Birth Records. It is unlikely that you will find a birth certificate for anyone born before 1920. Other potential sources of birth information include baptismal records, school records, letters, diaries, birth announcements, and baby books. Marriage Records. Marriage licenses or certificates are frequently found in a family’s records. They will at least record the names of the couple being married. However, many of them record birth places and parents’ names as well. Other sources for marriage information include newspaper announcements and family Bible records. Death Records. Death certificates are often located with the family papers. These generally have the information regarding the date and place of death, as well as the deceased’s parents’ names. You may also find death information in newspaper obituaries, legal notices, letters, and again, the family Bible. There are numerous other sources of pertinent family history information you might find at home. Passports, military discharge papers, photographs, land records, business transactions, legal records, and wills are all potential sources of the information you need to unravel the mysteries of your family’s history.

Discovering your family’s history is a wonderful pastime, but it shouldn’t seem like a daunting task. Once you record what you and your family already know, and uncover records that may be sitting under your nose at home, you will be well on your way to a lifetime of celebrating your family’s past, enjoying its present, and recording it for the future.