This reptile is critically endangered, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, IUCN.
There are only 211 specimens of pink land iguana ( Conolophus marthae ) left in the world, according to a new survey.
A team of scientists and park rangers from the Galapagos Conservancy and the Galapagos National Park Directorate (GNPD) recently joined forces to count all the pink land iguana specimens of the Galapagos, which are only found in an area of 25 square kilometers on the slopes. north of the Wolf volcano on Isabela Island, the largest in the Galapagos.
And they only found 211.
This reptile was first discovered in 1986 and, prior to this new census, experts had put the population at around 300-350.
“In the census, 53 iguanas were located and captured [temporarily], of which 94% live at more than 1,500 meters above sea level,” said the Galapagos National Park (PNG) in a statement.
According to experts , it is possible that introduced pests such as rodents and wild cats have caused this reduction in their numbers.
The Galapagos National Park has created a new conservation plan to ensure the survival of these very special iguanas , which includes a permanent monitoring base on the summit of Wolf volcano and a systematic control program for introduced species, which will assess the risk for non-target animals as well.
The Galapagos archipelago, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, is made up of 19 islands located about 1,000 kilometers off the coast of Ecuador, which has caused many creatures to have evolved separately away from other species.
