Researchers have proposed that Fiji's native iguanas reached the islands by travelling nearly 8,000 kilometers on mats of floating vegetation. Genetic studies indicate they share a common ancestor with desert iguanas from the American Southwest,

Millions of years ago, a band of intrepid iguanas boarded a floating vessel, and reached the remote Pacific island chain.

A genetic analysis reveals that Fiji’s iguanas are most closely related to lizards living in North America’s deserts. How is this possible?