Martinique Giant Ameiva: Mongoose Victim
This colorful lizard scampered across Martinique until humans introduced mongooses to control snakes. The mongooses found the lizards easier prey than the snakes they were meant to hunt. Habitat destruction for sugar plantations further reduced their numbers. Scientists believe they disappeared shortly after 1900. The Martinique Giant Ameiva represents countless island species lost to invasive predators throughout the Caribbean.