Sci230 Axia Galapagos Islands Final
The Galapagos Islands are near Ecuador, the islands are a chain which straddles the equator. The islands were first discovered in 1535 and were put on maps in 1570. The islands were visited by Charles Darwin while he was researching natural selection. The Wikipedia web site informs that: “Though the first protective legislation for the Galápagos was enacted in 1934 and supplemented in 1936, it was not until the late 1950s that positive action was taken to control what was happening to the native flora and fauna. In 1955, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature organized a fact-finding mission to the Galápagos. Two years later, in 1957, UNESCO in cooperation with the government of Ecuador sent another expedition to study the conservation situation and choose a site for a research station” (Wikipedia, 2008).
Some of the species that can be found on these islands are:
“Galápagos land iguanas, Conolophus, Marine Iguana, Amblyrhynchus cristatus, the only iguana feeding in the sea, Galápagos tortoise (Galápagos Giant tortoise), Geochelone elephantopus, known as Galápago in Spanish, it gave the name to the islands, Galápagos Green Turtle, thought to be a subspecies of the Pacific Green Turtle, Chelonia mydas agassisi trepang sea cucumbers, the cause of environmental battles with fishermen over quotas of this expensive Asian delicacy. Flightless Cormorant, Phalacrocorax harrisi Great Frigatebird and Magnificent Frigatebird. Blue-footed Booby, Sula nebouxii, popular among visitors for their large blue feet which they show off in courtship. Galápagos Penguin, Spheniscus mendiculus, the only living tropical penguin. Waved Albatross, Phoebastria irrorata, the only living tropical albatross. Galápagos Hawk, Buteo galapagoensis, the islands' main scavenger and "environmental police". Four endemic species of Galápagos Mockingbirds, the first species Darwin noticed to vary from island to island. 13 endemic species of buntings,...
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