“Ancient Iguanas: How a 5,000-Mile Pacific Journey Unlocked the Secrets of Prehistoric Survival”
As such, rafting seems like the most likely possibility. And the study authors are convinced that the iguanas would have survived such a journey.
Though their voyage would have taken months — Scarpetta told All That’s Interesting that past simulations have suggested that the voyage could have taken as many as 12 months or as few as 2.5 months — iguanas are able to survive long periods without food or water. And if they were floating on an uprooted tree, they may have been able to subsist by eating parts of it.
“If you had to pick a vertebrate to survive a long trip on a raft across an ocean, iguanas would be a great choice,” Scarpetta remarked to All That’s Interesting. “Iguanas are large, herbivorous, and many living species are resistant to starvation, dehydration, and heat… They were also likely resilient to the conditions they faced on the way, such as lack of standing water and high temperatures.”
After reading about how iguanas may have “rafted” from North America to Fiji, discover the story of how Thor Heyerdahl crossed the Pacific on a wooden raft in order to prove that ancient people could have done the same. Or, look through 24 mesmerizing examples of animal camouflage.
Post Comment