One day some green iguanas were climbing trees on the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe (gwad-a-loop), when a hurricane hit. Fierce winds blew the trees down, and heavy rains swept them to the shore. Soon the iguanas were at sea, floating north on a raft of tangled trees. The lizards held on for dear life, as they bobbed along for 200 miles. They landed at last on the island of Anguilla (an-gwill-a).
Can land-loving lizards really ride the waves? Witnesses to their arrival and scientists who studied it say it truly happened. More important, the iguanas' voyage helps prove an old theory about how animals sometimes relocate to faraway places.
Surfing To Anguilla
Green iguanas live in South America and the Caribbean, usually no farther north than Guadeloupe. That's why fishermen on Anguilla were amazed to spot the colorful creatures on the beach in October 1995. The island is home to brown iguanas, but the lizards on the beach were bluish green, with giant scales on their cheeks. Anguilla's residents contacted biologist Ellen Censky. "I first thought, No way!" she recalls. But when she saw a picture, she knew something strange had happened.
Censky learned that two powerful hurricanes had hit Guadeloupe in September 1995. She realized the iguanas must have been swept out to sea on uprooted trees.
The iguanas were in bad shape when the fishermen found them. "My guess is that it was hot and dry" on the raft, says Censky. "They were probably running around trying to find shade."
Tiny Travelers
Scientists have long wondered how animals come to settle on distant islands. In some cases, they may have traveled over land bridges that at one time connected islands with mainlands. But scientists have also suspected that some small creatures traveled on floating trees. The iguanas' rafting trip is the first proof that groups can move around this way.
Time will tell whether or not the green iguanas become permanent residents of Anguilla. Most have survived. One female is said to have a nest of eggs--a good sign that the iguanas are settling in.