First pictures of young pink iguanas

It's a minor sensation. Researcher Dr. Jorge Carrión has succeeded in discovering and photographing young pink land iguanas for the first time. 

A team of researchers and rangers from the Galápagos National Park Authority (GNPD) had set up well-hidden wildlife cameras and photo traps around the edge of the Wolf volcano on Isabela Island several years ago. Their goal was to observe the activities of the extremely rare Pink Land Iguanas (Conolophus marthae) living there and to locate their breeding grounds.

The population of Pink Iguanas is estimated at 200–300 animals and is therefore listed as critically endangered on the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The pink color of the iguanas' skin is caused by their blood vessels showing through the partially unpigmented skin.

In mid-2021, Dr. Gabriele Gentile succeeded in locating the first nesting sites of these rare animals. We reported on this in autumn 2021. During a further expedition to the Wolf Volcano, researcher Dr. Jorge Carrión was even able to catch a young land iguana that differed visually from the known young pink iguanas. The animal had green skin, a long tail, and a short snout. Detailed examinations then showed that it was indeed a young pink iguana.

The researchers' delight was all the greater when, while exploring the nesting sites, they came across a clutch of eggs from which young iguanas were just hatching. This enabled them to take the first pictures of newly hatched pink land iguanas.

However, it was worrying that the camera traps revealed how feral cats gather around the iguana nests and kill the young iguanas when they try to leave the nest.

The researchers therefore suspect that these invasive cats are the reason why the population of Pink Iguanas has stagnated over the last 10 years. 

A permanently manned research station set up on the edge of the Wolf volcano will now ensure that the nesting sites are protected from poaching animals and animal trappers.

We are very pleased that new insights into these rare animals have been gained and that their long-term survival now seems realistic.