Iguanas inhabit tropical, subtropical and desert regions of the Americas—but surprisingly, they’re also found on a few incredibly remote Pacific islands, such as Fiji. Exactly how iguanas could have reached these islands in the first place is a hotly debated topic.

Iguanas rafted more than 8,000 km from North America to Fiji New genetics support the theory that iguanas voyaged to Fiji on ocean debris, in what scientists claim is the greatest known ocean journey in the history of land creatures.

At some point after approximately 34 million years ago, the ancestors of the Fiji iguanas arrived on the South Pacific islands.