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Chuck Chimera caught only a glimpse of the long lizard dining on his neighbor’s nasturtiums, but it was enough. He knew he’d seen more than an abnormally large gecko, skink or chameleon. “I thought my neighbor was just exaggerating when she said she kept seeing a huge lizard,” said Chimera.
The reptile was 4 feet long including its tail, and green with spines running down the length of its back. A loose flap of skin hung from its jaw. It turned and scrambled into the bushes with remarkable speed. It was not the first, nor is it likely to be the last, iguana sighting on Maui.
In some places, iguanas are popular as pets, but it is illegal to possess a green iguana in Hawaii. Getting caught with one here could mean a fine of up to $200,000. They are a threat to people and to the environment, and any sightings should be reported to the Hawaii Department of Agriculture.
Over the last 20 years, keen observers have spotted the large reptiles on the loose in Kaanapali, Kanaio, Makawao, Haiku and Kahului. Alert citizens captured two live, one from Kihei and one from Central Maui, and turned them in to the Agriculture Department. Two dead animals from Makawao were also turned in.
According to Fern Duvall, Ph.D., of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, the frequency of these sightings suggests these animals might not merely be escaped contraband pets. He suspects that feral iguanas are breeding in Kanaio, Haiku and the Puukolii neighborhood in Kaanapali. Before people arrived, lizards did not exist on the islands. These invaders could cause trouble.
Green iguanas are vegetarian lizards native to low-elevation habitats ranging from Mexico through Central America to Brazil and Ecuador. Females lay a clutch of 20-70 eggs each year. In their natural habitat, juvenile iguanas and eggs become food for rats, hawks, owls, snakes, crocodiles and people. In Central and South America, they are a source of meat and called “gallina de palo,” chicken of the trees. They are so popular on dinner tables in Panama that they are protectively managed as a food source.
But Floridians have yet to develop an appetite for this scaly reptile. In South Florida, green iguanas have become so prolific they are serious pests. They eat people’s landscape plants and gardens, dig up sidewalks and seawalls, and sneak into swimming pools – leaving behind smelly scat that can spread salmonella. The exotic lizards spread the seeds of invasive plants and boot Florida burrowing owls from their burrows. These invaders may be preventing the critically endangered Miami blue butterfly from re-establishing in the Florida Keys; they devour the leaves of the nickerbean vine, the butterfly’s host plant.
Hawaii stands to suffer similar problems if the lizards become widely established here.
How could a large, dinosaur-like lizard live amongst us mostly unnoticed? Iguanas are quiet and docile, spending most of their lives in trees. Sightings generally happen when the scaly climbers descend from the trees to bask in the sun or seek out water.
So look twice at lizards in trees or basking in the sun – if it looks like an iguana, try to take a picture and report it. If you can safely capture the animal, do so, but be cautious as iguanas have sharp teeth and can be aggressive when cornered.
Don’t confuse an iguana with the common Jackson’s chameleon, a much smaller, three-toed lizard that is only 7-10 inches in length. Report any iguana sightings to the Maui Branch of the Hawaii Department of Agriculture: 872-3848 or to the Pest Hotline 643-PEST. Illegal pets can be turned in through the Department of Agriculture’s Amnesty Program.
* Lissa Fox Strohecker is the public relations and education specialist for the Maui Invasive Species Committee. She holds a biological sciences degree from Montana State University. “Kia’i Moku,” “Guarding the Island,” is prepared by the Maui Invasive Species Committee to provide information on protecting the island from invasive plants and animals that can threaten the island’s environment, economy and quality of life.