NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Baker's Spinytail Iguana
Ctenosaura bakeri Stejneger, 1901
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Ctenosaura bakeri, also known as the Utila spiny-tailed iguana, Baker's spinytail iguana, swamper or wishiwilly del suampo, is a critically endangered species of spinytail iguana endemic to the island of Utila, one of the Islas de la Bahía off the coast of Honduras in the Caribbean. The Utila iguana is the only species of iguana and one of only two species of lizard to exclusively inhabit brackish mangrove swamps, forced there due to competition from larger species. It is the smallest of the three species of iguana found on Utila, and unique among spiny-tailed iguanas as it is born a dark color as opposed to bright green or yellow. It is arboreal and primarily herbivorous, although it can be an opportunistic carnivore. Males may grow up to 76 centimeters (30 in) in length, while females are smaller, with a length of up to 56 centimeters (22 in). Eggs are laid in sandy beaches and hatch about 60–76 days later, with the hatchlings returning to live in the mangrove forests.
Wikipedia contributors, Ctenosaura bakeri; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T10:49:19.413570+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Ctenosaura bakeri Stejneger, 1901
- Name authority
- Stejneger, 1901
- Common name
- Baker's Spinytail Iguana
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Iguanidae
- Genus
- Ctenosaura
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
- orderSquamata Oppel, 1811
- suborderIguania
- familyIguanidae
- genusCtenosaura
- speciesCtenosaura bakeri Stejneger, 1901
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Ctenosaura. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| San Esteban Spinytail IguanaCtenosaura conspicuosa Dickerson, 1919 | IguanidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Yellow-backed Spiny-tailed IguanaCtenosaura flavidorsalis Köhler & Klemmer, 1994 | IguanidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Baja California Spiny- tailed IguanaCtenosaura hemilopha (Cope, 1863) | IguanidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Nolasco Spiny-tailed IguanaCtenosaura nolascensis Smith, 1972 | IguanidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Oaxaca Spiny-tailed IguanaCtenosaura oaxacana Köhler & Hasbun, 2001 | IguanidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Roatan Spiny-tailed IguanaCtenosaura oedirhina de Queiroz, 1987 | IguanidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Guerreran Spiny-tailed IguanaCtenosaura pectinata (Wiegmann, 1834) | IguanidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Five-keeled Spiny-tailed IguanaCtenosaura quinquecarinata (Gray, 1842) | IguanidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Black IguanaCtenosaura similis (Gray, 1831) | IguanidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Northeastern Spinytail IguanaCtenosaura acanthura (Shaw, 1802) | IguanidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Balsas Armed LizardCtenosaura clarki Bailey, 1928 | IguanidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Cape Spinytail IguanaCtenosaura macrolopha Smith, 1972 | IguanidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Ctenosaura&species=bakeri Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:32762. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.