The islands are the Galapagos,
situated in the Pacific Ocean roughly 1000 kilometers west of mainland
Interesting facts:
Endemic
genera of cacti include Brachycereus and Jasminocereus, the lava and
candelabra
cactus, respectively.
Flamingos,
whose diets include crustaceans, tiny fish, and algae, can be found
wading in
brackish lagoons. Greater flamingos are primarily seen on Floreana and
other
southern islands.
A
change in ocean temperature associated with an episodic disruption in
atmospheric circulation led to a precipitous decline in the local
penguin
population. The Galapagos penguin population declined alarmingly during
1972
and 1998, when nutrients and fish were less abundant due to warmer
surface
waters associated with an El Niño event.
The
islands were officially discovered in 1535 by the Spanish missionary
Fray Tomas
de Berlanga, the Bishop of Panama. His ship veered off course while on
a
journey from
The
volcano of the westernmost
Several
plant species are endangered due to decimation by goats and competition
with
non-native vegetation. Invasive plants such as quinine and guava trees,
and
invasive animals such as goats, feral cattle, and the cottony cushion
scale
insect are contributing to the endangered status of native plant
species such
as the endemic daisy tree and the Floreana flax.
El
Junco Lake on
The
Pinta island subspecies of Galapagos Giant Tortoise (Geochelone
elephantopus
abingdoni) are survived by a single male named "Lonesome George".
Attempts to mate Lonesome George with female tortoises of the closest
subspecies have not been successful.
Naturalist
Charles Darwin (a native of
Barkstrom, Bruce R. Satellite
view of the Galapagos. 5 May 2003.
NASA. November 25, 2004. <http://nasa.gov>