have an acute fondness for the fruits of mangroves
and willow trees, both of which surround the city,
and the abundant nearby water provides the ideal
habitat. Despite having been a major food source
throughout Central and South America for the past
7,000 years, they have thrived in Guayaquil
specifically because ‘bamboo chicken’ is not on the
ecuatoriano menu. Good thing too, because some
of the specimens in Seminario Park might otherwise
be considered fitting for a royal feast.
arugula or collards), flowers, berries, or their
favourite fruits (mangos, bananas, figs, hog plums);
all are the perfect complement for a strictly
herbivorous diet. The caretakers at the park feed
up to 300 iguanas a day with buckets of fresh fruit
and legumes, at which time the lizards’ normally
calm disposition metamorphoses into a battle for
sustenance. The alpha males dive into the mêlée
first, using their serrated, razor-sharp teeth to rip
open the tough outer husk of a butternut squash
before savouring the sweet pulp inside. Speedy
Speaking of which, these spiny reptiles are always young juveniles, distinguishable by their brighter
in search of a banquet – of the vegetarian variety. green colouration, sneak into the food pits to snag
Whether it be ‘greens’ (mustard, dandelion, turnip, a parsnip, while a female snatches a bite of leafy