Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Southern Florida have documented an extraordinary voyage for a reptile lineage, tracing a path of roughly eight thousand kilometers from North America to the islands of Fiji and Tonga. The finding describes the longest recorded transoceanic settlement by a terrestrial vertebrate and was published in a leading scientific journal. The significance lies not only in the distance but in what the journey reveals about how animals reach remote islands and establish new populations.
In a thorough genetic analysis, scientists found that the Fiji iguanas belong to the genus Brachylophus and are most closely related to the North American desert iguana, Dipsosaurus dorsalis. The two lineages diverged roughly thirty-four million years ago, a time that matches the early formation of Fiji’s volcanic archipelago.
The team suggests that the ancient iguanas crossed the Pacific on rafts formed by floating vegetation and debris. During long crossings, these makeshift platforms could supply food and moisture, increasing chances of survival until they reached suitable land. The need to endure drought, predators, and unfamiliar climates would favor individuals capable of prolonged travel and rapid establishment after landing.
The scenario is dramatic: storms could sweep branches bearing eggs or young iguanas across vast seas, delivering them to new shores where they could take root and thrive in suitable habitats.
Earlier ideas proposed origins for Fiji iguanas in South America or suggested they were part of a broader Pacific lineage. But the latest genetic work rejects those scenarios and instead links Fiji iguanas to the North American desert group.
Biologists note that Fiji iguanas stand as the only living representative of the iguana family in the western Pacific, making them a singular window into how island colonization unfolds in remote archipelago regions.
Their existence underscores the role of rare dispersal events in shaping biodiversity across continents and islands. The Pacific’s dynamic history, with shifting plates and changing currents, provides the backdrop for such improbable journeys.
Taken together, this research demonstrates the power of combining genetic data with geological timelines to test long standing questions about how species move across oceans and colonize new lands.
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