Follow us on Telegram for the latest updates: https://t.me/mothershipsg

A large group of iguanas showed up at Warren Golf and Country Club over the Chinese New Year period to sun tan.

The cold-blooded reptiles appeared to savour their time in the sunshine.

The photos of the iguanas appeared in a Feb. 17 Singapore Hikers Facebook post.

However, some of the iguanas appeared to have too much sunshine and opted for the shade.

Result of breeding in the wild

The presence of so many of them at one time is unusual.

So far, such iguanas have been spotted individually at various locations in Singapore, usually near areas with dense vegetation.

A large group of them at one spot suggests they have bred rapidly in the wild, as a result of the iguanas being released and abandoned.

Not native to Singapore

These reptiles are the common green iguana (Iguana iguana).

They are native to South American countries such as Mexico, southern Brazil and Paraguay.

They were once the most popular lizard with reptile keepers.

Illegal pet trade

According to to Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Singapore) (Acres) in 2014, iguanas have been introduced to Singapore as illegal pets.

Over the past decade, they have increasingly been found in the wild in Singapore and Thailand, most likely due to the international reptile trade.

These iguanas are arboreal (i.e. live in trees) and largely herbivorous.

The green iguana was one of the first lizard species kept as pets.

Totally unrelated but follow and listen to our podcast here