Animal Diaries Archive

Peru's Profile

4 June 2004

Peru, one of our Green Iguanas, has been coming out to meet the public most days and she's been very well behaved! She loves Hibiscus leaves and flowers, grapes, and rockmelon pieces as treats when she's out.

Peru was bred at Australia Zoo from Marilyn and Kermit. She hatched on the 18th of January 2001, making her three and a half years old. She will grow larger, but for now she's quite content to sit on our shoulders and pose for photos. Peru's ancestors come from Central and South America where they live in the rainforest. They blend in well with their green colouring and their habit of sitting high in the canopy. Unfortunately these guys are popular as pets in the US, which has resulted in some of them being smuggled from the rainforest into the US to meet demand. Hopefully with better knowledge of Iguana breeding, this exploitation will decrease.