Virtual Galápagos: Wildlife

Wildlife - Island Life

Introduction

Giant Tortoises

Land Lizards

Insects

Plant Life

Birds

"The distribution of the tenants of this archipelago would not be nearly so wonderful, if, for instance, one island had a mocking-thrush, and a second island some other quite distinct genus.... But it is the circumstance, that several of the islands possess their own species of tortoise, mocking-thrush, finches and numerous plants, these species having the same general habits, occupying analogous situations, and obviously filling the same place in the natural economy of this archipelago, that strikes me with wonder...."

Charles Darwin, Voyage of the Beagle

Islands are justifiably famous as birthplaces of new and idiosyncratic species. From Madagascar to Tasmania, Sulawesi to Santa Catalina, the isolation of islands encourages specific adaptations to local environments. Charles Darwin -- and a few before, and many others since -- recognized that in the Galápagos these factors were heightened by several degrees, due to its equatorial location in cool waters, its distance from the mainland, and the diversity of life zones possible in an archipelago.

What we find in the Galápagos is a textbook study on evolution -- in fact, many textbooks. The plants, animals, birds and even insects of the Galápagos all provide ample testimony to the wealth of nature's strategies for securing the survival of species. Again, in the words of Darwin, "One is astonished at the amount of creative force, if such an expression may be used, displayed on these small, barren, and rocky islands; and still more so, at its diverse yet analogous action on points so near to each other."