A week’s animal|Leguan’s ancestors had a fierce sea trip.
The abstract is made by artificial intelligence and checked by man.
Leguanies may have float from America across the Pacific to the island of Fiji, writes journalist Niko Kettunen in his Column of the Week.
A new study shows that Fijinleguan is genetically intimate with Leguan of Mexico.
More than 8,000 kilometers across the sea sounds unlikely, but legaanes are, according to researchers, sustainable.
Far The Pacific is home to Fiji’s sunny island state. There are four lizards, local indigenous leguanas. With regard to them, we have a problem that doesn’t bother himself, but the researchers have scratched his head: How have leguanas ended up with Fiji?
The islands are in the middle of the sea, a couple of thousands of kilometers from the Australian coast. Do they swim from there?
This has been considered one opportunity, but then there is a bigger puzzle. All leguas have evolved in America. None of the fossils of leguana have been found on the Asian side.
New The research now supports the tremendous idea: Leguani are therefore float To the islands from America throughout the Pacific. So over 8,000 kilometers!
The arrival of Leguanian American ancestors through Asia and Australian islands is even less likely. In the north, they should have crossed the Bering Strait and walk to the south side of Siberia. Yes, there is already a motivation from the lizard.
California researchers made genes in the family tree and found that Fijinleguan’s closest relatives are living in Mexico Dipsosaurus— Leguani. Fijinleguans were genetically separated from them about 30 million years ago.
Scientists report Findings in the US Academy of Sciences PNAS publication.
Perhaps a small number of lizards, for example, have drifted into the sea, a raft of driving trees, branches and vegetation, and sea currents have been transported far to Fiji.
So only explorer Thor Heyedahl He also ended up on his Kontiki board from South America to the Easter Island, taken by currents.
On the way It takes months, but leguanas are durable. They tolerate heat and are able to slow down their metabolism.
Perhaps they have also had a traveling if the ferry has formed from loose vegetation. Even my legua does not need to read.
Sure, the probability of such a sea adventure is astronomically small, but for millions of years, everything has happened.
“If you have to choose a group of vertebrates that can survive thousands of kilometers in the open sea, legaanes are a great choice,” research editor, research editor, Simon Scarpetta says on Science News.