Many people once they have got to know Iguanas, get curious as to what their native diet consumed in the wild consists of, it is well known that it consists of “tree leaves and blossom along with fruits” but its not widely known which species.
There have been a couple of good documents on this topic but up until now they haven’t been available on the net.
Now thanks to Julie Elliotts detective work in tracking down and examining these two documents we can produce the following tables of wild diet.
The two documents in question being…..
1, Optimal foraging of a herbivorous lizard,Green Iguanain a seasonal environment…..
by Wouter D. van Marken Lichtenbelt, Oecologia (1993) 95:246-256
And also….
2, The Diet of a generalized folivore: Iguana iguana in Panama…..
by AS Rand, BA Dugan, H Monteza and D Vianda. Journal of Herpetology 24(2):211-214, 1990
The following information that also details parts eaten is taken from the first document 1,
Acacia tortuosa:Tree parts eaten are the mature and young leaves, flowers and fruit.
Bourreria succulenta:Tree parts eaten are young leaves, flowers and fruit
Bursera bonairensis:Tree parts eaten are mature and young leaves
Caesalpinia coriaria:Tree parts eaten are mature and young leaves, flowers and fruit
Capparis flexuosa:Tree parts eaten are young leaves, flowers and fruit
Coccoloba swartzii:Tree parts eaten are (indefinate)
Condalia henriquezii:Tree parts eaten are mature and young leaves
Cordia alba:Tree parts eaten are mature and young leaves, flowers and fruit
Guapira spec:Tree parts eaten are young leaves, flowers and fruit
Haematotoxilon brasiletto:Tree parts eaten are young leaves, flowers and fruit
Machaonia otonis:Tree parts eaten are mature and young leaves and fruit
Malpighia emarginata:Tree parts eaten are mature and young leaves, flowers and fruit
Metopium brownei:Tree parts eaten are young leaves, flowers and fruit
Randia aculeata:Tree parts eaten are mature and young leaves, flowers and fruits
Trichilia trifolia:Tree parts eaten are mature and young leaves
Antirhea acutata:Shrub parts eaten fruit
Capparis odoratissima:Shrub parts that are eaten are young leaves, flowers
Commicarpus scandens:Shrub parts eaten mature and young leaves
Cordia currassavica:Shrub parts eaten are young leaves
Erythalis fructicosa:Shrub parts eaten are flower and fruit
Serjania curassavica:Climber parts eaten are young leaves
Cephalocereus lanuginosus:Cactus parts eaten are flower
Cereus repandus:Cactus parts eaten are flower
Lemairocereus griseus:Cactus parts eaten are flower
The following information is taken from the second document 2,
Spondias mombin:Tree parts eaten are leaves
Annona acuminata:Shrub parts eaten are fruit
Tecoma stans:Tree parts eaten are leaves & fruit
Amphilophium paniculatum:Vine parts eaten are leaves
Ceratophytum tetragonolobum:Vine parts eaten are fruit
Bursera simaruba:Tree parts eaten are leaves
Capparis frondosa:Bush parts eaten are leaves
Merremia umbellata:Vine parts eaten are leaves
Stictocardia tiIiifolia:Vine parts eaten are leaves
Merremia quinquefolia:Vine parts eaten are leaves
Operculina pteripes:Vine parts eaten are fruits
Citrullus sp:Vine parts eaten are leaves
Cucumis sp:Vine parts eaten are leaves
Momordica charantia:Vine parts eaten are leaves
Cyperus sp:Herb parts eaten are leaves
Chamaesyce densiflora:Herb parts eaten are leaves
Centrosema plumieri:Vine parts eaten are leaves
Pithecellobium oblongum:Vine parts eaten are leaves
Cecropia peltata:Tree parts eaten are leaves
Pisonia aculeata:Bush parts eaten are leaves
Gouania lupuloides:Vine parts eaten are leaves
Coutarea hexandra:Tree parts eaten are leaves
Pouteria sp:Tree parts eaten are leaves
Cardiospermum grandiflorum:Vine parts eaten are leaves
Laportea aestuans:Herb parts eaten are leaves
Cissus sicyoides:Vine parts eaten are
Genipa americana:Tree parts eaten are leaves & fruit
Sapium biglandolsum:tree parts eaten are new leaves
Ficus sp:Tree parts eaten are leaves
Ipomea sp:Climber parts eaten are leaves
