Ever wondered how Fiji’s iguanas arrived?
New research suggests that millions of years ago, iguanas floated 8,000 km from North America to Fiji on vegetation rafts – masses of uprooted trees and small plants. The journey is thought to be a record – further than any other land-dwelling vertebrate has ever travelled on the ocean.
The striking Fijian Crested Iguana, with its vibrant green colour and spiky crest, is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The Fiji Banded Iguana and the Lau Banded Iguana are listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
The Fijian Crested Iguana is currently known to be present on the islands of Yadua Taba (Bua), Macuata (Ra), Monuriki and Monu (Mamanuca Group), and on Deviulau and Waya in the Yasawa Group. There are unconfirmed populations on one or two other islands of the Mamanuca and Yasawa Groups. Their local names are Vokai, Vokaivotovoto, and Saumure.
According to a CNN article, around 34 million years ago, the ancestors of modern iguanas likely embarked on what may be the longest overwater journey undertaken by a nonhuman, land-dwelling vertebrate species.
Starting off the epic trek from the western coast of North America, these iguanas travelled nearly 5,000 miles (8,000 km) — one-fifth of the Earth’s circumference — across the Pacific Ocean, eventually arriving in Fiji, according to a new study.
Using genetic evidence, researchers propose that these iguanas made the extraordinary voyage by rafting on floating vegetation, possibly composed of uprooted trees or plants.
For decades, scientists have debated how Fiji’s iguanas arrived. Previous theories suggested that an extinct species of iguana rafted from the Americas without a clear timeline, while others proposed that the lizards migrated overland from Asia or Australia, said lead study author Dr. Simon Scarpetta, an assistant professor at the University of San Francisco. Scarpetta conducted this research during his National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California, Berkeley, and in his current role.
The findings, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, help clarify the long-standing mystery of how these reptiles reached such remote islands.
Scarpetta and his team aimed to test both the overwater rafting and overland theories, as well as other hypotheses for the biogeographic origin of Fijian iguanas, including dispersal through Antarctica or across the Bering land bridge.
CNN article link:
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/03/21/science/iguanas-fiji-pacific-ocean-vegetation-rafts/index.html
More on Fiji: www.explorefijionline.com
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#ProceedingsoftheNationalAcademyofSciences #author #DrSimonScarpetta CNN University of San Francisco University of California, Berkeley IUCN
