Marine iguanas seized in Ecuador

Forty-eight marine iguanas were seized by customs in Ecuador between May and the end of August 2026. This result has alarmed an international team of researchers, including Juan Jose Alava, a marine ecotoxicologist at Simon Fraser University in Canada. In a letter published in Science, they report an unusual increase in the trafficking of these Galapagos reptiles. This coincides with the El Niño 2026-2027 event, which attained the status of "super El Niño" two weeks after the last seizure.

Unique traits of marine iguanas

The marine iguana is the only lizard in the world capable of living and feeding in the sea. The warming of the waters is destroying the intertidal macroalgae, its main food source. The exotic pet market, on the other hand, is harvesting individuals from the wild. This text is not a field study, but an alert based on recent seizures.

Trafficking incidents detailed

It all began in May, when El Niño was warming the equatorial waters. Ecuadorian authorities discovered four iguanas in a house near Guayaquil. Shortly afterward, a dozen others appeared at the nearby airport, their legs tied, hidden in handbags. By the end of August, a suitcase contained 32, tied up in small plastic boxes. At least one seized animal was found dead, and several others did not survive.

Threats to the species

This trafficking is hitting a species already weakened by chemical spills and plastic pollution. "These macroalgae are the main food source for the iguana," recalls Juan Jose Alava. According to him, the animals are already shrinking and dying in large numbers. They succumb to starvation or exhaust themselves swimming further and further to find food.