Scientists Discover a New Pacific Iguana and More Clues to a Longtime Mystery

Publisher: USGS (San Diego Field Station) | Science Center: Western Ecological Research Center (WERC, Sacramento) | Format: URL

www.werc.usgs.gov — The Pacific iguanas of the Fijian and Tongan archipelagos are a biogeographic enigma in that their closest relatives are found only in the New World, separated by 8,000 km of ocean. The Pacific iguanas have been dramatically affected by human activities; two species were eaten to extinction after human arrival in the Pacific some 2,800 years ago. More... The Pacific iguanas of the Fijian and Tongan archipelagos are a biogeographic enigma in that their closest relatives are found only in the New World, separated by 8,000 km of ocean. The Pacific iguanas have been dramatically affected by human activities; two species were eaten to extinction after human arrival in the Pacific some 2,800 years ago. The extant Brachylophus species are now under imminent threat due to habitat loss and modification. Australian researchers and USGS scientist Robert Fisher have discovered a new iguana in the central regions of Fiji, which makes three living Pacific iguana species including one that is critically endangered. Their study also provides insight about the unusual occurrence of iguanas in the middle of the Pacific, suggesting ancestors of the Pacific iguanas may have arrived up to 13 million years ago after making a 5,000-mile rafting trip from the New World. Less...