October 23, 2025
Dr. Simon Scarpetta
Assistant Professor
Floating to Fiji: The Trans-Pacific Voyage of Iguanas
Our October Ocean Hoptimism “creature feature” was a journey through deep time!
Dr. Simon Scarpetta, evolutionary biologist, herpetologist, and paleontologist at the University of San Francisco, took us millions of years back to unravel one of nature’s wildest survival sagas: how land-dwelling iguanas crossed thousands of miles of open ocean to reach Fiji.
Using fossil evidence, genetics, and evolutionary biology, Dr. Scarpetta revealed how these unlikely mariners accomplished the longest known transoceanic crossing ever by a terrestrial vertebrate. What began as an improbable voyage became the foundation of Fiji’s endemic iguana species—a true story of adaptation and endurance.
But the tale didn’t end in the past. Dr. Scarpetta reminded us that today, Fiji’s iguanas stand on the razor’s edge of survival, threatened by habitat loss and invasive species. Their continued existence depends on urgent conservation efforts, and on all of us choosing to help.
If this story of survival and resilience moved you, consider supporting the people on the ground protecting Fiji’s iguanas: Join Nature Fiji: https://www.naturefiji.org/membership/join-us/
Because even in an age of extinctions, resilience endures—and hope is worth fighting for. 🌴💚
“Understanding the history of life on oceanic islands—like the origins of Fiji’s iguanas—shows why we must protect their habitats. Native forests and reefs are the only homes for these iguanas and countless other species, and local conservation is key to their survival."
—Dr. Simon Scarpetta
