Hispaniolan ground iguana  (Cyclura ricordi)

As its common name alludes, the Hispaniolan ground iguana is found on the island of Hispaniola, where it shares its habitat with the larger rhinoceros iguana (Cyclura cornuta cornuta) (1). Endemic to this island, which contains the nations of Haiti and the Dominican Republic (5), the Hispaniolan ground iguana exists in two populations separated by the natural ecological barrier of the Sierra de Baoruco mountains (1).

Cyclura iguanas are terrestrial animals, spending most of their time on the ground (5). In comparison with the rhinoceros iguana (Cyclura cornuta cornuta), the Hispaniolan ground iguana is relatively specialised, occupying the most arid regions of the Dominican Republic, where the climate is highly seasonal, and is strongly associated with thorn scrub woodlands, particularly with the thorn scrub-dry forest ecotone (1).