Scientists warn that a “super El Niño” weather pattern is disrupting food supplies for Galápagos marine iguanas and coinciding with a reported increase in illegal trafficking of the reptiles.
Across outlets, researchers describe seizures and trafficking cases involving marine iguanas smuggled through Ecuador since May, with authorities and scientists noting an unusual uptick in black-market activity. They link the timing to El Niño’s impact on marine conditions, which makes the iguanas swim farther to forage and therefore increases the chance of them being collected illegally.
The coverage emphasizes two connected drivers: climate effects that reduce natural prey and push animals into more vulnerable areas, and the opportunistic nature of trafficking networks. While the exact scale of the market varies by outlet’s framing, all report growing concern that the overlap of ecological stress and trafficking could significantly affect local marine iguana populations, which are already limited in range and dependent on specific marine food sources.
