I’ve been identifying the iguanids through Central America and have noticed a number of really emaciated individual green iguanas (Iguana iguana) in both Panama and Costa Rica, all of which were observed at some point this past winter. That is, I’ve noticed these emaciated animals in January and February of 2024, but not in previous years. It has been documented previously that El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) affects land iguana (Conolophus) and marine iguana (Amblyrhynchus) body condition in the Galapagos by affecting rainfall and temperature.
So, my question is, has anyone else noticed that the condition of iguanas this year is different from past years? Is Central America experiencing the same drought that is occurring in South America? Do you think this is just normal variation in observations of these animals, or is there really an uptick in animals being negatively affected by…something…ENSO or something else?