New Iguana SpeciesIdentified on Galapagos Islands

Scientists have identified a new species of iguana on the Galapagos Islands, and a genetic analysis of the creature shows that it diverged from other terrestrial iguana species about 5 million years ago — the oldest documented branching of the land iguana’s family tree. The new species, which has yet to be named, is found only on the slopes of the Wolf volcano on the island of Isabela. Park rangers first spotted the pink iguana in 1986, but after studying the animal — only about 40 of which are known to exist — scientists recently concluded that it is a separate species. Reporting in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers said the new species fills an evolutionary gap between the divergence of land and sea iguanas, about 10 million years ago, and the divergence of different species of land iguanas, previously believed to have occurred about 1 million years ago. The scientists expressed surprise that a new species could still be identified on the island chain made famous as the locale where Charles Darwin developed his theory of evolution.