Mo Ganji: Jamaican Iguana | Jamaika-Leguan | Cyclura collei | No. 106/250 from work group 8/99

Jamaican Iguana | Jamaika-Leguan | Cyclura collei

Mo Ganji’s single line attends to the Jamaican iguana — a large, ground-dwelling herbivorous lizard adapted to dry limestone forests — by allowing its core presence to emerge without descriptive insistence. The continuous line holds a condensed sense of form, enough to suggest a living being while remaining open to meanings beyond the category of “iguana.” In this careful exposure of the essential, the being appears prior to rarity, colour or historical narrative.

Cyclura collei is listed as Critically Endangered (CR) on the IUCN Red List. Endemic to Jamaica, the species was long thought extinct after the 1940s until its rediscovery in 1990 in the Hellshire Hills. Today, the wild population remains extremely small and restricted to a single area, supported by intensive conservation and head-starting programs.

The principal threats include habitat loss and degradation, predation by invasive species such as mongooses, cats and dogs, and human encroachment. Because the iguana has a slow reproductive rate and a very limited range, even modest disturbances can have severe consequences. Long-term survival depends on sustained habitat protection and the control of invasive predators.

Ganji’s single line opens a space in which the iguana can be encountered beyond its story of loss and rediscovery. It invites attention to a presence shaped by persistence and deep time, quietly reminding us that human classifications often arrive after damage has been done — and that recognizing ourselves as part of the same fragile ecosystems is essential to allowing such singular lives to continue.