"According a March 2025 study led by USF professor Simon Scarpetta, it's possible that a group of iguanas - which may have hailed from arid regions like Southern California and Northern Mexico - hitched a ride on vegetation rafts all the way to Fiji millions of years ago, explaining their genetic presence on a far-flung archipelago over 8,000 kilometers away."
"That's partly because they're cold blooded, or ectothermic, meaning they don't need to constantly eat and drink in order to survive, he explained. Juveniles will often get by on small insects, and their ocean locomotives - which are usually made of downed trees or vegetation - might even already have food on them. They're also large, hearty creatures that have plenty of body mass to fall back on during long sea-faring journeys, he continued."
Genetic analysis indicates desert iguanas from arid North America are closely related to Fijian iguanas, implying transoceanic colonization via vegetation rafts millions of years ago. Rafting on downed trees or vegetation could carry iguanas thousands of kilometers, with juveniles surviving on small insects and rafts sometimes providing food. Iguanas' ectothermy reduces metabolic needs, and their large body mass provides energy reserves for long sea journeys, increasing the likelihood of successful colonization. The proposed mechanism explains how land reptiles established populations on remote Pacific islands over 8,000 kilometers from their origin.
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