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The state of Florida has had the misfortune of having many introduced species that inhabit its land. However, one of the least known introduced species is the spiny-tailed iguana. This lizard now inhabits the island of Boca Grande and several others. The spiny-tailed iguanas live all over the island but mainly seem to be found around the beach area. This is because they were originally from the deserts of Mexico and burrow in the ground. It was funny when my mother showed me these lizards that she had seen because she knew they were iguanas but didn't know where they were from. People around town were saying that they were green iguanas which got me excited because I had never seen them in the wild and I knew they were around the Miami area but when I actually got a look at one I quickly realized that they were spiny-tailed iguanas. I had never seen one before but knew it from some of the books I have read. Green iguanas are green and live in the lush forests and jungles of central America while spiny-tailed iguanas live in the deserts of northern Mexico. Quite a bit of difference between the two but I still ended up getting a t-shirt on the island that has a picture of two realistic looking green iguanas with the words Boca Grande printed below, haha.


Spiny-tailed iguana on the island of Boca Grande (Ctenosaura pectinata)

These below where taken at, Myakka State Park, which is Florida's largest state park. It is a very peaceful place and you can see so much by just driving on the scenic roads.


Green Heron (Butorides virescens)	Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus)	Although I usually dislike photos that are not perfectly focused, I tried something different by panning with a slow shutter speed and really liked this image of a wild raccoon.

Robert Jadin's Herpetology Journal

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