PHOTOS: Shedd Aquarium welcomes 2 rare iguanas

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The Shedd Aquarium has welcomed two rare Bahamian Rock iguanas into its care, the aquarium announced Thursday.

The two Exuma Island Rock iguanas are among some of the most endangered lizards in the world - the aquarium says only 2,000 still exist in the wild.

PHOTOS: Shedd Aquarium welcomes 2 rare iguanas

The male and female - who are both more than 20-years-old - were rescued from smugglers who were convicted of illegally removing them from the Bahamas to be sold to a Florida pet trader in 1994. The two were among nine iguanas confiscated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1998.

The iguanas previously lived at the Los Angeles Zoo.