Rhinoceros Iguana

Meet Donkey Kong!

Donkey Kong is a rhinoceros iguana - one of the largest species in a group known as rock iguanas. Rock iguanas are a group of large, ground-dwelling iguanas native to the islands of the Caribbean, and rhinoceros iguanas are found on the island of Hispaniola - in the countries of The Dominican Republic and Haiti. While this species, and rock iguanas in general, are primarily herbivorous they can get quite large. An average adult male rhinoceros iguana can be more than 4 feet long from nose to tail and weighs about 20lbs. Donkey Kong really lives up to his name, tipping the scales at nearly 26lbs!

Rhinoceros iguanas are listed as Endangered by the IUCN. Their main threats in the wild are habitat loss and fragmentation and the introduction of domestic predators, especially cats and pigs. Currently there are 10 species and at least 5 subspecies of rock iguana recognized throughout the Caribbean, and all of them are listed as Vulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered and are facing similar threats as the rhinoceros iguana. Iguanaland is proud to help fund research about and the conservation of these species in the wild.

Donkey Kong and his long-time mate, Princess, can be seen daily on exhibit at Iguanaland. The pair are part of our Ambassador Animal team and would love to meet you for an Animal Encounter or on your VIP Tour!