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Super El Niño linked to uptick in Galápagos iguana trafficking

Marine iguanas in the Galápagos are swimming farther to find food, and Popular Science says that is pulling them into harm's way; the commute is the problem.

On air: Kenji Moonfield and Vera Bullock on BBN Overnight
Published
Photo: Marine iguana
Photo: RAF-YYC from Calgary, Canada · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 2.0

At a glance

The real story

The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.

What BBN said about it

  1. Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorOn October fifteenth, twenty twenty-six, Popular Science reported a strange uptick in illegal trafficking of Galápagos marine iguanas, with a super El Niño as an influence.

  2. Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentThe report says the iguanas are swimming farther to find food. That is a longer commute, with no podcast and no salary.

  3. Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorAnd the farther they swim, the more they end up in harm's way. That is the part that matters here.

  4. Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentSo the ocean got weird, lunch moved, and now the iguana is basically a delivery driver on the worst route in the Pacific.

  5. Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorA delivery driver.

  6. Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentYes. Zero tips, rising danger, and I would give that commute one star.

  7. Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorThe iguana would give you one star too, for the joke.

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The story so far

  1. How the 2026 Super El Niño and Climate Change Are Related · Wired
  2. Super El Niño threatens food system; foreign money in ballot fights · The Guardian
  3. Argentina closes Iguazu Falls as El Niño rains swell the river · The Guardian
  4. Indonesia wildfire fuelled by El Niño razes almost 300 homes · The Guardian
  5. Super El Niño sets another record as it strengthens · BBC
  6. Earth's vital signs hit record extremes as El Niño arrives · Wired
  7. Super El Niño linked to uptick in Galápagos iguana trafficking (this story)

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Photo: NASA · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
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