Jonathan Lambert

So most iguanas are native to the Americas, with some in the Caribbean and some on the Galapagos Islands. Fiji is like one-fifth of the way around the globe. And while some iguanas can swim, they can't swim that far.

According to a new paper, they floated.

According to a new paper, they floated.

According to a new paper, they floated.

Likely some big clump of downed trees and other vegetation that became a raft of sorts.

Likely some big clump of downed trees and other vegetation that became a raft of sorts.

Likely some big clump of downed trees and other vegetation that became a raft of sorts.

This new study argues that some intrepid, well, probably inadvertently intrepid, group of iguanas set off from North America to float like 5,000 miles away to reach the island of Fiji.

This new study argues that some intrepid, well, probably inadvertently intrepid, group of iguanas set off from North America to float like 5,000 miles away to reach the island of Fiji.

This new study argues that some intrepid, well, probably inadvertently intrepid, group of iguanas set off from North America to float like 5,000 miles away to reach the island of Fiji.

Yeah, it's wild. Biologists call this kind of journey where an animal travels to a new place and sets up permanent camp a dispersal event. And this would be the longest known trans-oceanic dispersal event of any land animal, except for humans.

Yeah, it's wild. Biologists call this kind of journey where an animal travels to a new place and sets up permanent camp a dispersal event. And this would be the longest known trans-oceanic dispersal event of any land animal, except for humans.

Yeah, it's wild. Biologists call this kind of journey where an animal travels to a new place and sets up permanent camp a dispersal event. And this would be the longest known trans-oceanic dispersal event of any land animal, except for humans.

And how iguanas might have survived such a long time at sea.

And how iguanas might have survived such a long time at sea.

And how iguanas might have survived such a long time at sea.

So there were basically two ideas for how iguanas got to Fiji. The first is that they got there gradually. Over like 50 million years ago, iguanas might have walked over the course of lots of generations over land bridges to modern day Asia or Australia.

So there were basically two ideas for how iguanas got to Fiji. The first is that they got there gradually. Over like 50 million years ago, iguanas might have walked over the course of lots of generations over land bridges to modern day Asia or Australia.

So there were basically two ideas for how iguanas got to Fiji. The first is that they got there gradually. Over like 50 million years ago, iguanas might have walked over the course of lots of generations over land bridges to modern day Asia or Australia.

Those land bridges are now underwater, but they might once have allowed iguanas to spread in the eastern hemisphere and sort of island hop the rest of the way to Fiji.