Galápagos Islands of Evolution | Charles Darwin’s Enchanted Archipelago
CONTENTS 6
Introduction
10
Darwin (Culpepper)
20
Wolf (Wenman)
32
Pinta (Abingdon)
44
Marchena (Bindloe)
62
Genovesa Island (Tower)
84
San Cristóbal (Chatham)
100
Española (Hood)
120
Floreana (Charles or Santa María)
136
Santa Fe (Barrington)
150
South Plaza
166
Santa Cruz (Indefatigable)
182
Baltra (South Seymour)
196
North Seymour
206
Bartolomé
216
Santiago (San Salvador, James)
224
Rábida (Jervis)
232
Pinzón (Duncan)
244
Isabela (Albemarle)
290
Fernandina (Narborough)
306
Minor islands
314
Further Reading
316
Index
320
Acknowledgments and Picture Credits
Galápagos archipelago | A satellite bird’s-eye view of the islands that Darwin called “a little world within itself” on account of the variety of wildlife to be found there (the centre of the compass point above marks the location of these islands in the Pacific).
Marine iguana | The only sea-going lizard in the world, Darwin called these sauria “imps of
Waved albatross | The only member of this bird family to live in the tropics, the waved albatross
darkness . . . disgusting, clumsy creatures”. Marine iguanas live on land but graze on algae and
breeds exclusively on Española. From March to December every year the world’s entire population
seaweed, down to depths of more than 30ft (12m), making them vulnerable to sharks and other
– about 12,000 pairs – of this endangered ground-nesting seabird can be found in two places on
marine predators. The population may be as high as 300,000 throughout the archipelago.
Española, around Punta Suarez in the west and Punta Cevallos (above) in the east.
104 | Española
Española | 105
PREVIOUS PAGE Sally lightfoot crab | These crustaceans are found on every island. Colours vary from black to deep red to pale green – adults are bright red and yellow. Sea birds prey on them and although their own first choice of food is algae, the sally lightfoot crabs scavenge dead birds and marine life.
Giant prickly pear | Cactus is the Vegetarian finch | Darwin’s finches provide the symbol for evolution in the Galápagos.
commonest plant in the dry inland areas – and a popular food for tortoises and finches.
There are thirteen types in the islands, differing
The arborescent giant prickly pear cactus is
mainly by beak shape and size. This bird is
endemic, with fourteen sub-types, including
similar to a tree finch and it is feeding on unripe fruit. Academy Bay, Santa Cruz.
174 | Santa Cruz
this thick-trunked variety (Barringtonensis, left) unique to Santa Cruz.
Santa Cruz | 175
Sea lion | Sea lions are common throughout the archipelago, having long ago reached the islands from the north. They dive deep, down to as much as 200ft (70m), often in search of schools of sardines.
Orange cup corals | The cold water off Galápagos restricts the number of corals, which provide rich marine life habitat – though fine reefs can be found in the sea off Bartolomé. Three corals are unique to Galápagos but are endangered, as are some algae species that the marine iguanas feed on.
Galápagos shark | The waters off Bartolomé are a popular haunt of sharks, including the white-tipped reef shark, hammerhead, whale shark and the (not endemic) Galápagos shark, which feeds on marine iguanas and sea lions, the latter often to be found in the area around Pinnacle Rock.
Bartolomé | 211
18 | ISABELA On 1 October 1835 the third island Charles Darwin visited was called Albemarle after the English duke of that name. The island was renamed Isabela in the 1890s (after the queen of Spain who sponsored Columbus), and it is bigger than all the other islands in the archipelago combined. Here Darwin first saw land iguanas, which he noted “are hideous animals, but are considered good food”. By 18 October the party’s survey had been completed and they moved on.
Isabela has five active volcanoes
– Wolf, Darwin, Alcedo, Santa Tomas and Cerro Azul – and a rich biodiversity with many endemic plants and animals, including the largest giant tortoise populations (estimated to be 15,000-plus) in Galápagos.
Cerro Azul | A view of the caldera of Cerro Azul volcano. Although among the smallest calderas
Blue-footed boobie | Three of the world’s six species of boobies are found in Galápagos, with
in the western Galápagos (at 2.5 miles/4km across), this is one of the deepest at 2,000ft (650m).
the blue-footed the third most abundant (after red-footed and masked). The name ”booby“ derives
The caldera lake has developed since the last eruption in 1998, when lava fiow killed at least one
from the Spanish word bobo meaning clown, a name that was applied to the birds because of their
of the endangered giant tortoises. Isabela island is actually a chain of five volcanoes, one of which
colours and strange ways. Boobies range from 25–36in (63–90cm) in length, with a wingspan of
– Negra – is the second largest crater in the world after Ngorongoro in Africa.
3–5ft (90–150cm). They nest close to the ocean. They are seen here at Punta Vicente.
248 | Isabela
Isabela | 249