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LOCAL Saturday 12 July 2025

Sun catchers: The different lizards in Aruba

ORANJESTAD – Colorful or pendix II of the Convention by playing a significant role
camouflaged, you’re bound on International Trade in En- in the dispersal of seeds for
to encounter a variety of dangered Species (CITES), certain plants: when they eat
lizards basking in the sun meaning that international fruit, they excrete the seeds
or scurrying on their way in trade is regulated through in diverse locations, contrib-
our island. From the charm- the CITES permit system. uting to the reproduction
ing, friendly iguanas to the In the past, Arubans used cycle of our local plants.
good-luck gecko Pega-Pe- to eat a popular Yuwana
ga, you’re bound to meet a soup, as it was believed Striped anole
few of these special residents to give strength and help The striped anole (Anolis lin-
during your visit. restore health – probably eatus) that lives in Aruba is
due to the protein boost it known locally as Waltaka
Aruba, as a desert island, is delivered. However, it is now or Toteki. This is a species of
home to an incredible va- illegal to catch, kill, buy or sell lizard in the family Dactyloi-
riety of unique and colorful Yuwanas in Aruba, and this but in time, some 4–5 intrusive dae, and they are native to
species. Among them we includes eating them! They are variable in color- gecko species have been Aruba and Curaçao. It is usu-
can find different lizards, ation, from a mottled dark observed, some of which ally found in dry areas, com-
most of which have South Turnip-tailed gecko gray to orange-brown, and do not cease to amaze us monly where there are not
American origins. But there The turnip-tailed gecko is are capable of chang- with the racket they make, large trees; rather they enjoy
are a few exceptions. known locally as the Pega- ing color depending on especially during the hours rocks, walls or tree trunks, as
Pega, meaning sticky-sticky, their mood and surround- of the night. they prefer to stay close to
Iguanas due to the way it sticks to ings. Mottled and banded the ground.
Iguanas are easy to spot, walls using the suction in its markings aid in camouflage The Pega-pega Phyllodacty-
as they are larger than little fingers. They are found against tree bark. They are lus Julieni is also a protected These lizards are about 7cm
most other lizards and when inside houses, and are mostly harmless and fragile; you can species in Aruba, by law. It is in length, have a brown color
young, have a bright green a nocturnal animal. hold one in your hands as illegal to kill them! with a stripe on each side
color that makes them stand long as you are VERY gentle. and typically, several stripes
out. According to Etnia Nativa, Never put pressure on its tail Blue Kododo on the body and tail that
the local Pega Pega is im- because it will surely drop as These are one of the most are lighter in color. It has a
The iguanas usually found mediately recognizable by a measure to try to distract striking lizards in Aruba, rec- dewlap which is orange-
in Aruba are the Iguana its large size, with a body the predator, and they are ognizable by the male’s yellow – and what’s unique
iguana, known as the green length of up to 12 cm, and different from other lizards bright blue color. The Aruban about this species is that it
iguana, or locally as Yuwana. its large, swollen tail, approxi- because they’re long-lived, whiptail lizard, Cnemidopho- is the only known species of
The Yuwana are a mostly mately the same length or talkative, lack eyelids, and rus arubensis, is a species en- anole where the dewlap is
herbivorous species, and slightly shorter than its body; their small scales are situat- demic to Aruba, meaning asymetrically colored, with
can grow up to 2 meters in females are larger and more ed next to each other like you can only find it here on one side being a deeper
size, including the tail, mak- robust than males. It has cobblestones rather than our One Happy Island! They orange and the other side
ing them one of the largest short, robust legs with flat- overlapping as is the case are also recognized as the a lighter yellow. Mostly this
in the iguana family. As you tened toes and extensive in most other lizards. most common and populous is seen in the males, as it is
will see, despite their name, basal webbing. lizard on the island. While the almost imperceptible in the
as they reach adulthood, The undersides of its toes are Turnip-tailed Geckos are male is blue with white dots, females. If the Toteki shows
the iguanas can take on a covered in lamellae, which insectivorous and feed on the female is brown with blue you his dewlap, retreat! This
grey or blue tone instead of are used as friction pads to cockroaches, grasshoppers, dots. is not a friendly greeting!
the bright green displayed cling to smooth vertical sur- beetles, flies, mosquitoes,
by the young ones. In Aruba faces. Some can even walk and spiders, which makes These charming lizards eat Lizards are wonderful crea-
– as in the rest of the King- around completely upside them the best pest control mostly plants, such as flow- tures that are precious to
dom of the Netherlands – the down. Its toes are covered to have at home! They spend ers, nectar, leaves and fruits, our fragile, local ecosystem.
most usual color varies from with ridges, which are pep- their days concealed in dark and occasionally enjoy some Please be mindful of these
green to lavender, black pered with millions of micro- tree grooves and cavities, in insects. They are selective in residents as you enjoy your
and sometimes a reddish scopic bristle-like structures narrow crevices in the walls, which plants they eat, be- stay.q
brown. called setae that attach and or behind paintings, which cause of the toxins present
detach when the animal wills provide the perfect shelter in many available plants spe- Images: Some images are from
Yuwana is a protected spe- them to, and they never get for them. Pega pega is a cies. The Kododo help take Aruba Birdlife Conservation.
cies, as it is listed under Ap- gunked up. gecko endemic to our island, care of Aruba’s vegetation