Natural History
The Galápagos Islands have received international acclaim as a natural
laboratory, where the 19 th century naturalist Charles Darwin gathered
important scientific evidence that set in motion his theory of evolution by
natural selection—the idea that organisms best suited to changes in the
environment are most likely to survive and pass successful genetic traits to
their offspring. Scientists and conservationists have been flocking to the
Galápagos ever since to observe the incredible plant and animal species
variety and endemism concentrated in the islands and to make sense of the
evolutionary processes that have subjected these individuals to biological
development.
Colonizing plant and animal species arrived to the Galápagos via wind and
water dispersal across a seemingly insurmountable 1000km-wide oceanic
barrier separating the South American continent from the islands. As a
result, these organisms were effectively isolated from their mainland
ancestors, becoming independent biological units subject to different
environmental factors and evolutionary patterns. This same segregation
process occurred on a smaller scale within the archipelago, with individual
islands harboring unique species.
Geographic and/or ecological isolation is a main force driving
speciation, a phenomenon idyllically represented by the little brown symbols
of evolution in action also known as Darwin's finches. Although all finches
originated from a single ancestor, competition for resources over time has
caused individuals to select specific ecological niches. As a result,
individual species have developed differences in beak structure and food
preferences that are acute enough to prevent interbreeding. This
specialization on food resources becomes especially valuable—and
evolutionarily interesting—during climatically different El Niño years, when
limited food availability triggers a more severe natural selection.
Besides the archipelago's distance from major land masses, it counts on a
unique combination of abiotic and biotic factors—moisture, temperature,
light, food, nutrients, predation, competition, etc—to drive the
evolutionary formation of endemic species found nowhere else on earth.
Nearly one in four total species is endemic to the Galápagos, including the
flightless cormorant, Galápagos hawk, Galápagos fur seal, and Galápagos
penguin. Certain environmental factors are also responsible for certain
animal behaviors. For example, the islands provide the perfect
conditions—cool waters, warm terrain, and few predators—for marine iguanas.
The wildlife you will see on your Galapagos tour are completely
unaffected by Galapagos travel visitors . For this reason, there is a
restricted number of visitors permitted into the Galapagos each year, as
part of a joint effort to protect the delicate environmental and ecological
equilibrium. The most sensible method of Galapagos travel is via our cruise
ships. The M/V Galapagos Legend provides 3 night, 4 night and 7 night
cruises to select from, which can also be easily merged with Galapagos
travel visits to neighboring South American locations