Social Behavior in Hatchling Green Iguanas: Life at a Reptile Rookery

Abstract

Hatchling green iguanas (Iguana iguana) emerge from the ground in small groups in a communal nesting area on a small Panamanian islet and engage in complex social interactions. Iguanas from different clutches often join together before and during departure from the nest site. They also usually move around the islet and migrate from it to the larger adjacent landmass in social groups. These and other observations indicate that the sophistication of saurian social organization and neonate behavior has been underestimated.