Iguana Bling: Who Are You, Anyway?

Photo by Andy Jones, Cleveland Museum of Natural History, 2008.

My research requires knowing which iguana I'm observing (as well as who is related to whom, but more on that, later). Iguanas are identified and marked with colored beads, strung on a wire, and inserted through the nuchal crest. It's a bit like getting your ear pierced. Once marked, the proud male above would sport 3 colored beads on each side below his spikes -- we'll be able to tell him from his buddies using binoculars. This is an identification system lizard researchers have used for decades.

Glass beads are UV stable. They are also impervious to Colorado winter winds, cold, and snow. (Who knew?) The ring below has been outside for several months. The chart is a code of  3-bead identifications, like Green-Red-Green (G-R-G) or Red-White-Blue (R-W-B).


Each iguana will also receive a PIT tag, a passive integrated transponder tag (I know, you thought PIT tag would be like PIN number) that most know as a microchip for pets. It serves the same purpose -- even without the beads, the animal will be known.

And then there will be the inevitable house names. G-R-G might end up as Geri. Red-White-Blue might end up with an Americanized patriotic lizard. Martha? George?

The ID system is lo-hi tech, the best of both worlds.