Iguanas Travelled 5,000 Miles to Fiji on Rafts 34 Million Years Ago

A brand new examine means that iguanas crossed over 5,000 miles from North America to Fiji round 34 million years in the past by clinging to rafts of floating vegetation. The journey, thought-about the longest-known transoceanic migration by a terrestrial species, is believed to have occurred shortly after Fiji’s islands fashioned. Researchers speculate that excessive climate occasions, equivalent to cyclones, may have uprooted timber and carried iguanas throughout the Pacific. The reptiles, that are the one iguanas discovered outdoors the Western Hemisphere, have lengthy been a topic of debate concerning their origins.

Genetic Study Reveals Direct Link to North America

According to the study printed in PNAS, researchers discovered that Fiji’s iguanas share a more in-depth genetic hyperlink with species from North America than beforehand thought. Simon Scarpetta, Assistant Professor of Environmental Science on the University of San Francisco, acknowledged in a press launch that the proof helps a direct journey from the West Coast of the United States to Fiji. This challenges earlier theories suggesting the reptiles could have arrived by way of Antarctica or Australia.

Reportedly, Jimmy McGuire, Professor of Biology on the University of California, Berkeley, mentioned that various explanations for his or her migration didn’t match inside the geological timeline. It was famous that the iguanas possible reached Fiji quickly after land grew to become obtainable within the area.

Adaptations May Have Helped Survival

More than 200 museum specimens have been analysed for the analysis. The findings indicated that the Fijian iguanas, categorised below the Brachylophus genus, are intently associated to the Diposaurus genus, which incorporates desert iguanas present in North America. Scarpetta defined that these lizards are extremely proof against hunger and dehydration, which can have elevated their probabilities of surviving the journey.

The estimated timeline of their migration aligns with the formation of Fiji’s islands. Researchers recommend that when land appeared, the iguanas established themselves, highlighting the outstanding nature of their journey.