THE LOOP — Why should Chicagoans care about the last remaining numbers of one species of iguana living on tiny Bahamian islands more than 1,000 miles away?
"Because we're doing the same degradation of the ecosystem in Chicago as they are in the Caribbean," said Dr. Chuck Knapp, the Shedd Aquarium's vice president of conservation and research.
Knapp for the last 20 years has journeyed to extremely remote islands in the Bahamas to research Andros Island rock iguanas and Exuma Island rock iguanas. The latter of the two subspecies is critically endangered with about 2,000 of the reptiles left in the wild. They are mostly found on uninhabited island keys in the Bahamas, some no larger than five acres.
The problems facing the iguanas, which can grow five feet long and weigh 20 pounds, in the Bahamas are the same as the wildlife in Chicago. For one, undisturbed land is being reduced by the day, giving the lizards less room to roam freely. Also, people feed the lizards foods not part of their diet, traditionally fruits, flowers, leaves with the occasional dead fish and caterpillar. Now humans — much like the ones in Chicago feeding birds, deer and other wildlife — have added grapes, bread, potato chips, crackers and even ground beef to the mix.
"We're trying to pinpoint what is the impact of that new diet and determining whether it affects how many eggs the iguanas lay and if it makes them grow smaller, and we provide that information to the [Bahamas] government so we can start to put in play sustainable and reasonable rules," said Knapp, who leaves for the Bahamas later this summer.
Knapp has been fascinated with iguanas for a quarter century, since he first started taking care of them as a master's student at University of Florida. The Southern Illinois graduate has worked at the Shedd for 25 years, and for much of that time spent as many as six months a year in the Bahamas with the lizards. His research is based from an 80-foot Shedd Aquarium vessel where Knapp also lives while he's in the Caribbean.
"I get the same excitement every time I see these animals," Knapp said. "They're intelligent and they're survivors."
They also used to be the kings of the Bahamian food chain until humans brought horses, cats, dogs, rats, goats and other mammals to the islands. Cats and dogs are the iguanas' top predators, especially when the lizards are young.
"The iguanas are part of a larger ecosystem," Knapp said, "and hopefully that's important to the people that live in Chicago."
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