Parque Bolívar, Guayaquil, Ecuador
Known as the Iguana Park in the Shadow of the Metropolitan Cathedral
May 4, 2008
The coastal centre of Guayaquil is Ecuador's largest city, so it is satisfying to find wild creatures living and breeding successfully amongst tall buildings and busy streets. The Parque Bolívar is bounded by Calle 10 de Agosto and Avenida Chimborazo, just a few blocks from the Malecón (waterfront). The Metropolitan Cathedral towers over a network of paths and neat lawns, ornamental gardens and ponds. Ecuadorian families come to socialise and enjoy the surroundings. Officials are half-hearted in their attempts to constrain the children who insist on handling the smaller lizards and pulling tails of the larger ones; it is hard to discourage their obvious fascination and enjoyment.
The Green Iguana
The Green Iguana Iguana iguana is native to parts of Central America and coastal tropical South America and can reach 2 m in length, including the tail. The University of Michigan's Museum of Zoology explains that colour and markings vary with age, gender, social dominance and environmental conditions. Colour becomes more uniform and duller with age and a range from bright green babies to variously striped and blotched older lizards can be observed in the park.
Under the throat is a hanging flap of skin called a dewlap and a crest of spines runs from the head along the back. Males, in particular, extend the crest in territorial defense.
Trees overhanging water bodies are favoured as habitat though they also spend time on the ground. Green Iguanas are commonly found in the mangroves and coastal forests that would have been the original vegetation where Guayaquil now stands, so it is possible that the animals have persisted in place as the city developed around them. Easily tamed, the lizards are popular pets, and it is also possible that dumped unwanted animals formed the basis of the park population. Trees, water, plenty of leaves and grass supplemented by some hand feeding are readily available to entice the animals to stay.
Green Iguanas are also popular as pets in North America and Europe. The Global Invasive Species Database explains that here is always potential for exotic animals to cause problems when introduced outside their range, and escaped and unwanted animals have bred in the wild, carrying disease and even disrupting airport operations. They can pose a danger to native bird species whose nests they raid.
The Metropolitan Cathedral
The Metropolitan Cathedral, with its impressive stained-glass windows and marble altar is well worth a visit. The cathedral was rebuilt and inaugurated in 1948 on the site of an original structure dating from 1547. The wooden building was destroyed by fire. In front is a statue commemorating Símon Bolívar, revered as a liberator from Spanish rule.
