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Fijian Crested Iguana
Scientific nameBrachylophus vitiensis
Conservation status (IUCN)
Critically Endangered
Sydney
Visitor tips for Sydney
You can see a Fijian Crested Iguana in ARC.
Did you know?
Where they're found
Found in the Yasawa and Mamanuca Island groups in Western Fiji.
50cm
Females can be anywhere from 35-82cm long, where males can be from 37-69cm.
4 eggs
The Fijian Crested Iguana can lay 2-4 eggs in a clutch
Habitat
Tropical dry forests
Primary threats:
Habitat loss, invasive predators, weeds, climate change
Where they're found
Found in the Yasawa and Mamanuca Island groups in Western Fiji.
50cm
Females can be anywhere from 35-82cm long, where males can be from 37-69cm.
4 eggs
The Fijian Crested Iguana can lay 2-4 eggs in a clutch
Habitat
Tropical dry forests
Primary threats:
Habitat loss, invasive predators, weeds, climate change
Species management programs
Taronga contributes to an Australasian Species Management Program and/or international breeding program for this species. This helps maintain healthy and resilient zoo-based animal populations by preserving genetic diversity, supporting animal husbandry knowledge, and ensuring exceptional animal welfare, safeguarding the species for the future.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Critically Endangered
Saving the Fijian Crested Iguana
For more than 20 years, Taronga has worked to save the Fijian Crested Iguana.
Former Taronga Ecologist Dr Peter Harlow wrote the IUCN recovery program to guide conservation efforts. Taronga’s support for the species’ survival has included developing a pest eradication program on its native Monuriki Island, devising the re-introduction program for iguanas bred in care in Fiji, and scientific monitoring to assess reintroduction survival rates.
Taronga works with other Zoos in Australia as part of a Species Management Program for Fijian Crested Iguanas, which could allow for reintroduction into the wild should a catastrophic event occur to the wild population in Fiji.
Former Taronga Ecologist Dr Peter Harlow wrote the IUCN recovery program to guide conservation efforts. Taronga’s support for the species’ survival has included developing a pest eradication program on its native Monuriki Island, devising the re-introduction program for iguanas bred in care in Fiji, and scientific monitoring to assess reintroduction survival rates.
Taronga works with other Zoos in Australia as part of a Species Management Program for Fijian Crested Iguanas, which could allow for reintroduction into the wild should a catastrophic event occur to the wild population in Fiji.
Fijian Crested Iguana deep dive
Discover more about what makes these iguanas so incredible!
Entirely herbivorous, these lizards primarily feed on leaves, fruits, and flowers from trees and shrubs. Their diets vary with seasonal availability.
This rare reptile only recently became known to scientists in part due to the 1980 film The Blue Lagoon. Filmed in remote areas of Fiji , this film included shots of the iguana which were later seen by herpetologist Dr John Gibbons, who was in Fiji studying another iguana species. He then travelled to the filming locations to formally identify and study this iguana.
WATCH: Iguana lunch time!
More to explore
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