The Galapagos Islands
Galapagos Islands Reflections
Wildlife of the Galapagos Islands
The Galapagos Islands is comprised of a massive diversity of many organisms. It is often referred to as a “different world”. Dr. Ellen Prager says what amazed her the most about the Galapagos is, you could be swimming by some corals and tropical fish and a penguin will swim by and in school we are taught that corals and tropical fish are found in warmer environments and penguins and sea lions are found in colder environments. Some of the bird species found on the islands are the Albatross, the Galapagos Finches, the Blue Footed Booby, Dull Coloured Grassquit, the Mocking Bird and the Frigate Bird. Other non-bird species found on the island are the Galapagos Tortoise, the Land and Marine Iguanas, Sea Lions and penguins. The islands have such a gorgeous mix of different animals that are beautiful enough to attract foreigners from all over the world.
Conserving The Last Eden
Juan Jose Alava, a research scientist, studies the Galapagos Islands. He speaks about its unique qualities whether that be geological, geographical, or biological. He mentions the Galapagos Islands’ complex oceanic features,variable sea surface temperatures, and the high primary productivity that takes place in this region. Alava also gives a tribute to Charles Darwin who developed a lot of the ideas we have today about evolution. He also goes over many different species that are found on some of the islands. Conserving the Galapagos isn’t easy. In order to do this, laws must be put in place and people must care. Due to conservation efforts, the demographic growth of the Islands has increased significantly. He goes over oil spills and other disturbances as well.
Galapagos Islands & Machu Picchu
“Quito is one of the most compelling cities in Latin America.” It is a mix of colonial and modern architecture. It stands directly on the Equator. The Galapagos Islands are composed of 13 major islands, 6 smaller ones, and 4 inlets. Charles Darwin came across 50 Galapagos Tortoises and took them all back on the Beagle. The Galapagos Islands are not considered to be tropical because of the range in climate for each island. It is a “living laboratory of evolution”.
Evolution in The Galapagos
In 1831, at the age of 22, Charles Darwin changed history. He developed the major ideas about evolution. Mockingbirds on Espanola have much longer beaks. During Darwin’s five weeks on the islands, he only visited four of them. Darwin found many endemic species, especially plants. Alan Alda, the narrator, discusses the study of the Galapagos Finches and their beak sizes. A finch species from an island that Charles Darwin hadn’t even visited just so happened to support his theory of evolution. Daphne Major is also commonly known as the “laboratory of evolution”.
Galapagos Finch Evolution
Scientists are making experiments that would “surprise” Charles Darwin. They are trying to figure out how new species form and the Galapagos Islands is a perfect place for that. Especially one of the smaller islands, Daphne Major. The Galapagos is about six hundred miles away from the Ecuadorian coast. It is a group of volcanic islands that arose less than five million years ago. On the island is the Galapagos Finches which was a focus for not only Charles Darwin, but the Grants. There was such major differences in the qualities of each of the finches that Darwin first mistook them for completely different types of birds. Scientists want to know how these finches got there. The finches could have come from the mainland separately and could have evolved on the islands. The Grants focused on only one species on Daphne Major. Their studies focused on the small, medium and large ground finches.
The Origin of Birds
Our world has more than 10,000 species of birds with feathered wings. Scientists have scoured the fossil record answer some important questions on how birds came to be. They have uncovered some surprising twists on birds from their ancestors. When Charles Darwin wrote the Origin of Species, he argued that every major group of animals evolved from a preexisting one. He predicted that we would find fossils with features that linked one major group to another. The fossil Archaeopteryx is mentioned. The bony features including, teeth, jaws, tails and claws were found which has similar qualities in birds. It is a major possibility that birds could have come from dinosaurs.
The Galapagos Islands is comprised of a massive diversity of many organisms. It is often referred to as a “different world”. Dr. Ellen Prager says what amazed her the most about the Galapagos is, you could be swimming by some corals and tropical fish and a penguin will swim by and in school we are taught that corals and tropical fish are found in warmer environments and penguins and sea lions are found in colder environments. Some of the bird species found on the islands are the Albatross, the Galapagos Finches, the Blue Footed Booby, Dull Coloured Grassquit, the Mocking Bird and the Frigate Bird. Other non-bird species found on the island are the Galapagos Tortoise, the Land and Marine Iguanas, Sea Lions and penguins. The islands have such a gorgeous mix of different animals that are beautiful enough to attract foreigners from all over the world.
Conserving The Last Eden
Juan Jose Alava, a research scientist, studies the Galapagos Islands. He speaks about its unique qualities whether that be geological, geographical, or biological. He mentions the Galapagos Islands’ complex oceanic features,variable sea surface temperatures, and the high primary productivity that takes place in this region. Alava also gives a tribute to Charles Darwin who developed a lot of the ideas we have today about evolution. He also goes over many different species that are found on some of the islands. Conserving the Galapagos isn’t easy. In order to do this, laws must be put in place and people must care. Due to conservation efforts, the demographic growth of the Islands has increased significantly. He goes over oil spills and other disturbances as well.
Galapagos Islands & Machu Picchu
“Quito is one of the most compelling cities in Latin America.” It is a mix of colonial and modern architecture. It stands directly on the Equator. The Galapagos Islands are composed of 13 major islands, 6 smaller ones, and 4 inlets. Charles Darwin came across 50 Galapagos Tortoises and took them all back on the Beagle. The Galapagos Islands are not considered to be tropical because of the range in climate for each island. It is a “living laboratory of evolution”.
Evolution in The Galapagos
In 1831, at the age of 22, Charles Darwin changed history. He developed the major ideas about evolution. Mockingbirds on Espanola have much longer beaks. During Darwin’s five weeks on the islands, he only visited four of them. Darwin found many endemic species, especially plants. Alan Alda, the narrator, discusses the study of the Galapagos Finches and their beak sizes. A finch species from an island that Charles Darwin hadn’t even visited just so happened to support his theory of evolution. Daphne Major is also commonly known as the “laboratory of evolution”.
Galapagos Finch Evolution
Scientists are making experiments that would “surprise” Charles Darwin. They are trying to figure out how new species form and the Galapagos Islands is a perfect place for that. Especially one of the smaller islands, Daphne Major. The Galapagos is about six hundred miles away from the Ecuadorian coast. It is a group of volcanic islands that arose less than five million years ago. On the island is the Galapagos Finches which was a focus for not only Charles Darwin, but the Grants. There was such major differences in the qualities of each of the finches that Darwin first mistook them for completely different types of birds. Scientists want to know how these finches got there. The finches could have come from the mainland separately and could have evolved on the islands. The Grants focused on only one species on Daphne Major. Their studies focused on the small, medium and large ground finches.
The Origin of Birds
Our world has more than 10,000 species of birds with feathered wings. Scientists have scoured the fossil record answer some important questions on how birds came to be. They have uncovered some surprising twists on birds from their ancestors. When Charles Darwin wrote the Origin of Species, he argued that every major group of animals evolved from a preexisting one. He predicted that we would find fossils with features that linked one major group to another. The fossil Archaeopteryx is mentioned. The bony features including, teeth, jaws, tails and claws were found which has similar qualities in birds. It is a major possibility that birds could have come from dinosaurs.