“He measured his days in sunbeams, and he never once hurried.”

Mango Sol Ferreira

June 18, 2007 - January 27, 2025 (17 years old)

Born on June 18, 2007 in Naples, Florida

Passed away on January 27, 2025 in Fort Myers, Florida

Rainbow Bridge

Somewhere warm there is a branch with the light hitting it just right, and he is already on it.

About

Mango arrived in the summer of 2007 as a nine-inch rescue from a family who had not quite understood how large a green iguana becomes. He grew to five feet, most of it tail, and spent the next seventeen years as the largest and calmest personality in the house.

He was not a cuddly animal so much as a companionable one. He knew the sound of the refrigerator door, tracked the sun across the living room floor with the precision of a surveyor, and greeted people he approved of with a slow, dignified head bob.

He loved warm baths, hibiscus flowers, and the driftwood log down at the river bend where he was allowed to sit and survey his kingdom. He died in January 2025, on his branch, in his favorite patch of afternoon light.

Quick Facts

Species / Breed

Other — Green iguana (Iguana iguana)

Coat Color

Emerald green with turquoise jowls

Weight

11 lbs

Personality in Three Words

Patient · Watchful · Stubborn

Home

Fort Myers, Florida

What We Always Said About Him

Mango will get there when Mango gets there.

Known For

Sunbeam mathematicianHibiscus thiefHead-bob greetingsShoulder dragonBath-time enthusiastImmovable at breakfast

Favorites

Toy

A cardboard box he climbed and demolished monthly

Treat

Hibiscus flowers, picked fresh

Walk Spot

The driftwood log at the river bend

Napping Place

The wide branch under the basking lamp

Activity

Long warm baths in the laundry sink

Season

The Florida dry season

Favorite Person

Luz, who never rushed him

Secret Talent

Opening an unlatched screen door with his nose

Important Dates

Birth Date

June 18, 2007

Adoption day

August 30, 2007

The screen door incident

November 19, 2012

Moved to the river house

April 2, 2016

Crossed the Rainbow Bridge

January 27, 2025