The iguana prefers rocky, sunlit, open areas in dry forests or near the shore. The blue iguana's herbivorous diet is plants, fruits and flowers. Fossil records suggest there were many blue iguanas before European settlement; but less than 15 of them were left in the wild in 2003, which were predicted to disappear within a few years. Their decline is due to predators like feral pets (cats and dogs) and also the destruction of their natural habitat. Fruit farms have been turned into pasture for cattle grazing.