44‑million‑year‑old iguana fossil uncovers 'Balcanatolia' lost continent

An international team of paleontologists led by Dr. Georgios Georgalis of the Polish Academy of Sciences identified a 44‑million‑year‑old iguana fossil in a 44‑million‑year‑old sedimentary layer near Ankara in Central Anatolia. The specimen, consisting of a lower jaw fragment with characteristic iguanid teeth, is now housed in the collections of the University of Eskişehir.

The researchers describe the region at that time as "Balcanatolia," an isolated archipelago of islands with a tropical climate, comparable to present‑day Indonesia. The find marks the first reptile fossil recorded from the area, which previously yielded only endemic mammal remains. To explain the iguana’s presence, the team proposes that the animal drifted on a floating raft of vegetation after a major tsunami in Western Europe, a scenario supported by modern observations of iguanas surviving long distances on tree trunks.

The discovery was published in the journal Scientific Reports and involved collaborators from universities in Greece, France, Germany, and Turkey, highlighting a rare glimpse into prehistoric biogeography and island formation in the eastern Mediterranean.