Iguanas and Ocelots

Photo by Greg Willis

In mid-February, the green iguanas start to nest near the BCI dock.  They come down from the trees and some swim across the cove to reach the soft sandy soil of the dock area.  The females have mostly mated already, but some males court them just in case they can fertilize a few more eggs. The females do the work of selecting a safe site and digging a deep hole in which the eggs are placed and buried to hatch several weeks later.  The nesting process lasts for two or three weeks, and the iguanas can be seen leaving, some of them swimming back across the cove.  Sometimes crocodiles nest in the same places, so it can be a busy time.  

Photo by Greg Willis

Jackie and Greg have learned that iguanas are a favorite food of ocelots, but it is difficult to observe this behavior directly.  In 2012, one of the big male ocelots, named Flash, did his hunting when people were present and Greg took these photos.  It was the first time this photography was possible in the 30 years that Greg and Jackie have been studying mammals on BCI.

Ocelots and Camera-traps

Ocelot family on the hunt

The camera-traps of the BCI Mammal Census have been revealing details of the life histories of wild ocelots.  In the past 16 years we have been able to trace the lives of the 20 to 33 resident ocelots.  The number has been slowly increasing since the study began.  For example, Morse Code is a female who had two kittens instead of the usual one, and both were raised to be healthy young adults.  Her kittens are Dot and Dash, and they are now about 2 years old and becoming independent.  The photos show them as they have grown.

--Jackie and Greg Willis