Most iguanas are indigenous to the Americas. So how did the Fijian species end up on the island, nearly 5000 miles away in the South Pacific? According to a new study in the journal PNAS, it was probably via raft ... that is, on clump of floating trees. And this rafting hypothesis isn't entirely unprecedented. After hurricanes Luis and Marilyn hit the Caribbean in the 1990s, researchers found that a group of iguanas had floated over 180 miles away from Guadeloupe to the territory of Anguilla. Want to hear more about iguanas? Or rafts? Or evolutionary biology? Email us at [email protected] to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
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You're listening to Shortwave from NPR. Hey Shore Wavers, Regina Barber here. And today I'm joined by NPR's Jonathan Lambert. Hey, Jon.
Hey, Gina.
So today you're bringing us a story that you say is sort of like half mystery, half swashbuckling adventure.
Yes, it's seafaring, exploration, intrigue.
Oh my gosh, this is giving me very like One Piece vibes. Okay.
And on top of all of that, it's about iguanas. Specifically, iguanas native to the tropical island of Fiji. And how they got to this super isolated island has always been a bit of a mystery.
Why was it a mystery?
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.
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