How do I catch iguanas? With a good old humane wire trap. Each day after breakfast, I 'steal' fruit from the morning's platter -- pineapple, or papaya, or bananas, or watermelon -- they are all good for enticing a black iguana into a trap. But it's not fool-proof. Sometimes there is simply too much activity near the trap, or the commotion has sprung the trap empty.
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| Female coming down Big Tree captures male's attention. |
Other times the lovely female nearby is far more interesting than fruit. The next few photos show a smaller male (eventually caught, beaded, and PIT tagged) showing his beauty to a not-completely convinced female, WOG. Interestingly, he displayed as if ready for battle -- lateral compression, elevated on his legs, colors very pastel. Can't you see how big and beautiful I am?!!
She soon gave the male a low-key whip with her tail. Not the tail strike that could communicate "Not even if you were the only male on a deserted island," but one that suggested, "Not yet -- try me again in a few weeks." It is, after all, only the beginnings of mating season. Courtship has its purposes!
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| Male displays and approaches female. |
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| First female leaves but second female comes down and the male is all eyes. |
The male gets another try with a second female who comes down Big Tree.
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| His display is acrobatic! |
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| He even gets a leg on her body....but she soon gives him a "no-go" tail whip. |
