jerry

My wife and I are planning a trip to St Thomas in late January. Are there a large number of iguanas on "ALL" the beaches in St Thomas? Are there any beaches that have none or at least a very few iguanas and if so what hotels/inns/resorts are located near those beaches?

Ingrid

Jerry,<BR>Tell your wife to relax.... iguanas don't generally hang out on the beach. I've never seen an iguana on the beach on St Thomas or St John. If your wife is afraid (?????!!!!) avoid the Westin on St John as there are several &quot;resident&quot; iguanas hanging about the grounds<BR>I've seen them at Cinnamon Bay at St John but in the woods, not on the beach.<BR>FYI, they are absolutely harmless to people. There are tons of smaller lizards and such geckos etc that you may find in the villas and even hotel rooms. They are native, harmless and help to keep the mosquitos and no-see-um's under control.<BR>If your wife wants a vacation with no native wildlife, best skip the Caribbean.

Robert

Are you confusing iguanas with Komodo Dragons, which are dangerous? Every island in the Caribbean is populated with small lizards called &quot;curly tails.&quot; They keep the population of cockroaches and every crawling think in check and are encouraged by all the locals. They're harmless and beneficial. Robert

cd

What does a Komodo Dragon look like? How large is it? Last week in Cozumel, we saw what we thought was a beautiful Iquana. Orange and large...3-4ft and large in diameter. He came down from a tree and let us get pretty close for a picture. This post makes me wonder if it was an Iquana

dragon

There are no Komodo dragons in the Caribbean.

GM

There were some at both the Morningstar and Hotel at Frenchman's Reef. They are neat, and like to sunbathe around the boat launch at FR to town. They are more afraid of us than us of them.<BR><BR>The only thing is, Management folks have warned that sometimes they are attracted to red nail polish, thinking they are the native flower that they eat, so just FYI.

Nancy

cd,<BR>The ones you saw in Cozumel are iguanas. There are a bunch at Chankanaab, and they can also be found around many of the hotels and pretty much all over the island.<BR>They can get big - 3, 4 or even 5 feet with tail - and be a little bit of a surprise if you come out of your room to find one sunning on your patio, but they have a lot more to fear from us than we do from them.<BR>I had to stop a bunch of little boys (and grown men too !!!) from kicking sand all over and generally disturbing a big one at Chankanaab.<BR>To all, in many places in the Caribbean, deviling the local wildlife is a good way to end up in the pokey. (Not that anyone on this board would do that

cd

Thanks Nancy. We were in Chankanaab at the time.

joan

I've been to lots of iguana-covered Caribbean islands, and even own (well, my husband owns) an iguana as a pet. But the most incredible ones I've ever seen were in Aruba. What a color! True turquoise, like the water in the BVI . Not green, but turquoise blue! Anyone else ever seen these beauties?

Kristen

Joan- yes! I saw saw them this apst fall when I was there. They are beaitiful...that deep turquoise color. I got a few good photos before they scampered away. To anyone is not fond of then, don't worry, they will run away as soon as you get close. The bigger ones just seem to sit on rocks etc...out of the way. I would love to have one of those little blue ones as a pet though!

Chris

The iguana is a native to the island and you will see them on the beaches but it is more likely they will be sprinting into the water rather than sunning or harrassing people. They will avoid you. Around the pools they have been fed so have learned to hang out and sun themselves there. The munching on toenails painted red is an oft repetated story since they love the cherries (so they say) that the drinkers feed 'em from their drinks and mistake red toe nails for the cherry. Never met anyone who has been attacked by an iguana or had to have a rabies shot or ever was bitten by an iguana. Yes, you might see them at any or all of the resorts but not usually on the beaches - but it does happen.