Remote tracking of Galápagos pink land iguana reveals large elevational shifts in habitat use

Critically endangered Gal ' apagos pink land iguanas, Conolophus marthae, are considered a rare and elusive species. These iguanas are endemic to Wolf Volcano, on Isabela Island (Gal ' apagos), where they persist as a single, very small population on the northwestern slope of the volcano. In an attempt to unveil important information about their ecology and behavior we monitored and analyzed the movement data of a male C. marthae collected over a period of 159 days, from 25 September 2019 until 3 March 2020. We used a custom designed GPSWireless Sensor Node (WSN) to remotely track and describe the migration pattern of this individual. Using GPS location data and trajectory reconstruction we documented an altitudinal shift of more than 1000 m. These results not only agree with observations recorded while collecting data in the field but were also used to reconstruct and describe the individual's migratory behavior, and to document the potential path that this individual, and presumably others of this species, follow while searching for food or mates. The altitudinal shift described whether shared across individuals of the species or part of intraspecific variation, may be related to different factors. Here, we discuss alternative interpretations of this behavior. The urgent need to gather data on the species' ecology and develop an appropriate conservation strategy underlines the importance of this research. Although it is not possible to draw conclusions for an entire species based on results from one individual, this work represents a significant advancement for the conservation of this species, as it validates the importance of using cutting-edge remote-tracking technology to collect data on a very elusive species, and it reveals ecological traits not previously documented for these critically endangered iguanas.