@simon-scarpetta.bsky.social
Evolutionary Biologist, herpetologist, paleontologist | Assistant/term Professor at University of San Francisco | I like to catch salamanders
Reposted
Today we had Simon Scarpetta from USF delivering a talk here at EEB @princeton.edu on the technical and empirical challenges in sorting the phylogenomics and biogeography of iguanas...rafting over 8,000 km from North America to Fiji!
December 5, 2025 at 2:40 AM
Today we had Simon Scarpetta from USF delivering a talk here at EEB @princeton.edu on the technical and empirical challenges in sorting the phylogenomics and biogeography of iguanas...rafting over 8,000 km from North America to Fiji!
Reposted
Today on the podcast, ancient iguanas that boarded a natural raft and cruised from North America across the Pacific Ocean to Fiji. Plus, the fossil of a pregnant Ichthyosaur.
Listen here 🎧: pod.link/73329284/epi...
Listen here 🎧: pod.link/73329284/epi...
May 6, 2025 at 12:17 PM
Today on the podcast, ancient iguanas that boarded a natural raft and cruised from North America across the Pacific Ocean to Fiji. Plus, the fossil of a pregnant Ichthyosaur.
Listen here 🎧: pod.link/73329284/epi...
Listen here 🎧: pod.link/73329284/epi...
Reposted
A recent study suggests that millions of years ago, iguanas in North America hitched a ride on a raft and cruised across the Pacific Ocean to Fiji. Dr. @simon-scarpetta.bsky.social joins us to discuss the reptiles’ adventure.
Ancient Iguanas Floated 5,000 Miles Across The Pacific
Millions of years ago, iguanas somehow got from North America to Fiji. Scientists think they made the trip on a raft of fallen vegetation.
www.sciencefriday.com
May 2, 2025 at 7:20 PM
A recent study suggests that millions of years ago, iguanas in North America hitched a ride on a raft and cruised across the Pacific Ocean to Fiji. Dr. @simon-scarpetta.bsky.social joins us to discuss the reptiles’ adventure.
Reposted
New paper with Michael Caldwell, Mike Lee, Tiago Simoes, Dalton Meyer, and Simon Scarpetta! In it, we respond to claims that †Cryptovaranoides is a squamate, and show that they are indefensible. t.co/MLjFcy5ivx
April 23, 2025 at 5:14 PM
New paper with Michael Caldwell, Mike Lee, Tiago Simoes, Dalton Meyer, and Simon Scarpetta! In it, we respond to claims that †Cryptovaranoides is a squamate, and show that they are indefensible. t.co/MLjFcy5ivx
Reposted
And now for some good news: Iguanas rafted more than 8,000 km from North America to Fiji doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
March 26, 2025 at 8:40 AM
And now for some good news: Iguanas rafted more than 8,000 km from North America to Fiji doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
Reposted
How did iguanas reach the remote islands of Fiji? A new study reveals that Fijian iguanas rafted over 8,000 km from North America during the Paleogene, marking the longest documented transoceanic dispersal in terrestrial vertebrates.
In @SciAm: www.scientificamerican.com/article/fiji...
In @SciAm: www.scientificamerican.com/article/fiji...
March 25, 2025 at 6:55 PM
How did iguanas reach the remote islands of Fiji? A new study reveals that Fijian iguanas rafted over 8,000 km from North America during the Paleogene, marking the longest documented transoceanic dispersal in terrestrial vertebrates.
In @SciAm: www.scientificamerican.com/article/fiji...
In @SciAm: www.scientificamerican.com/article/fiji...
Reposted
In this issue: Long-distance origin of Fijian iguanas, grass-fed and industrial beef carbon-intensiveness, and Neolithic pig husbandry in Northwest Europe. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
In This Issue | PNAS
In This Issue
www.pnas.org
March 25, 2025 at 6:51 PM
In this issue: Long-distance origin of Fijian iguanas, grass-fed and industrial beef carbon-intensiveness, and Neolithic pig husbandry in Northwest Europe. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Reposted
Iguanas rafting 8000 km represents the longest documented transoceanic dispersal event (i.e. vagrancy event) in a terrestrial vertebrate
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/... 🌎
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/... 🌎
Iguanas rafted more than 8,000 km from North America to Fiji | PNAS
Founder-event speciation can occur when one or more organisms colonize a distant,
unoccupied area via long-distance dispersal, leading to the evolu...
www.pnas.org
March 19, 2025 at 8:33 AM
Iguanas rafting 8000 km represents the longest documented transoceanic dispersal event (i.e. vagrancy event) in a terrestrial vertebrate
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/... 🌎
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/... 🌎
Reposted
S.G Scarpetta, R.N Fisher, B.R Karin, J.B Niukula, A. Corl, T.R Jackman & Jimmy A McGuire (2025)
Iguanas rafted more than 8,000 km from North America to Fiji.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 122(12): e2318622122
doi: doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Iguanas rafted more than 8,000 km from North America to Fiji.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 122(12): e2318622122
doi: doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
PNAS
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...
doi.org
March 18, 2025 at 6:52 PM
S.G Scarpetta, R.N Fisher, B.R Karin, J.B Niukula, A. Corl, T.R Jackman & Jimmy A McGuire (2025)
Iguanas rafted more than 8,000 km from North America to Fiji.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 122(12): e2318622122
doi: doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Iguanas rafted more than 8,000 km from North America to Fiji.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 122(12): e2318622122
doi: doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Reposted
I always love covering Herps, especially lizards! Big thanks to @simon-scarpetta.bsky.social for telling me more about his team's paper and Christina De Jesús Villanueva for adding some context to the findings!
As always, it was great to work with @andreatweather.bsky.social!
As always, it was great to work with @andreatweather.bsky.social!
March 18, 2025 at 4:31 PM
I always love covering Herps, especially lizards! Big thanks to @simon-scarpetta.bsky.social for telling me more about his team's paper and Christina De Jesús Villanueva for adding some context to the findings!
As always, it was great to work with @andreatweather.bsky.social!
As always, it was great to work with @andreatweather.bsky.social!
Reposted
Why did the iguana cross the ocean? To get to Fiji!
A new paper finds that the ancestors of Fijian iguanas split from their North American relatives more than 30 million years ago and floated 5,000 miles to Fiji!🦎
My latest for @sciam.bsky.social: www.scientificamerican.com/article/fiji...
A new paper finds that the ancestors of Fijian iguanas split from their North American relatives more than 30 million years ago and floated 5,000 miles to Fiji!🦎
My latest for @sciam.bsky.social: www.scientificamerican.com/article/fiji...
How Did the Iguanas Cross the Ocean? Now We May Know
A genetic analysis reveals that Fiji’s iguanas are most closely related to lizards living in North America’s deserts. How is this possible?
www.scientificamerican.com
March 18, 2025 at 4:31 PM
Why did the iguana cross the ocean? To get to Fiji!
A new paper finds that the ancestors of Fijian iguanas split from their North American relatives more than 30 million years ago and floated 5,000 miles to Fiji!🦎
My latest for @sciam.bsky.social: www.scientificamerican.com/article/fiji...
A new paper finds that the ancestors of Fijian iguanas split from their North American relatives more than 30 million years ago and floated 5,000 miles to Fiji!🦎
My latest for @sciam.bsky.social: www.scientificamerican.com/article/fiji...
Reposted
Researchers find that Fiji iguanas are most closely related to the North American desert iguana — evidence of the longest known transoceanic dispersal of any land animal. news.berkeley.edu/2025/03/17/i...
Iguanas floated one-fifth of the way around the world to colonize Fiji - Berkeley News
Researchers find that Fiji iguanas are most closely related to the North American desert iguana — evidence of the longest known transoceanic dispersal of any land animal
news.berkeley.edu
March 17, 2025 at 10:28 PM
Researchers find that Fiji iguanas are most closely related to the North American desert iguana — evidence of the longest known transoceanic dispersal of any land animal. news.berkeley.edu/2025/03/17/i...