Santa Cruz Island
In 1831, Charles Darwin started a long journey and had the fantastic opportunity to observe many different places including several different ecosystems in South America. In 1835 Darwin was in the Galápagos Islands. After being on the islands and after all the observations he made, Darwin had new ideas for science that led him to formulate a revolutionary theory of evolution.
Nowadays in 2009, we are still debating about his thinking, 150 years later! Today at the Charles Darwin Research Station (CDRS) we saw Giant tortoises of all ages and sizes. Since 1964 the CDRS has run a successful breeding program through many years of trying and testing different methods to raise these gigantic reptiles. In the Center, we could see very small tortoises, only one year old. It is almost unbelievable that these tiny creatures could become giants. Some individuals could easily reach 500 pounds or more in weight. We observed several adults as well that are used to have people around, therefore we all could get very close to them. We had great opportunities to take photographs. At one point we felt certainly small, especially while being so close to huge male tortoises. Along the way, it was very clear that tortoises are very different from island to island. We learned about some famous saddle back individuals such as Lonesome George, the last one of his kind. We met the group of Espanola Island as well. In the early 1960s, the population of Espanola Island was almost extinct, but now after many years of hard work we have more than 1400; this is obviously a very successful story!
After visiting the CDRS we had some time in town. Along the main streets we could experience first hand the people live on the island. We went by the colorful fish market, where some guests observed how fish are cleaned. This activity attracted several animal species such as Blue footed boobies, Galápagos sea lions and Brown pelicans. It was very amusing to observe all the interactions that were going on.
At the end of the main road, buses were waiting to transport us to a different location, the highlands of Santa Cruz. Due to the altitude, this location looks very different than the coastal regions. It is so green and so lush. On the way to (and at) a local picturesque restaurant where we had lunch, some of us had opportunities to practice physical activities, such as mountain bike rides, power walking, swimming and water stretching.
After lunch we went on the road again, this time to see the Giant tortoises in the wild! We had a great time observing the tortoises roaming and eating peacefully surrounded by the characteristic thick green vegetation of their habitats just as Charles Darwin saw them in his time.
In 1831, Charles Darwin started a long journey and had the fantastic opportunity to observe many different places including several different ecosystems in South America. In 1835 Darwin was in the Galápagos Islands. After being on the islands and after all the observations he made, Darwin had new ideas for science that led him to formulate a revolutionary theory of evolution.
Nowadays in 2009, we are still debating about his thinking, 150 years later! Today at the Charles Darwin Research Station (CDRS) we saw Giant tortoises of all ages and sizes. Since 1964 the CDRS has run a successful breeding program through many years of trying and testing different methods to raise these gigantic reptiles. In the Center, we could see very small tortoises, only one year old. It is almost unbelievable that these tiny creatures could become giants. Some individuals could easily reach 500 pounds or more in weight. We observed several adults as well that are used to have people around, therefore we all could get very close to them. We had great opportunities to take photographs. At one point we felt certainly small, especially while being so close to huge male tortoises. Along the way, it was very clear that tortoises are very different from island to island. We learned about some famous saddle back individuals such as Lonesome George, the last one of his kind. We met the group of Espanola Island as well. In the early 1960s, the population of Espanola Island was almost extinct, but now after many years of hard work we have more than 1400; this is obviously a very successful story!
After visiting the CDRS we had some time in town. Along the main streets we could experience first hand the people live on the island. We went by the colorful fish market, where some guests observed how fish are cleaned. This activity attracted several animal species such as Blue footed boobies, Galápagos sea lions and Brown pelicans. It was very amusing to observe all the interactions that were going on.
At the end of the main road, buses were waiting to transport us to a different location, the highlands of Santa Cruz. Due to the altitude, this location looks very different than the coastal regions. It is so green and so lush. On the way to (and at) a local picturesque restaurant where we had lunch, some of us had opportunities to practice physical activities, such as mountain bike rides, power walking, swimming and water stretching.
After lunch we went on the road again, this time to see the Giant tortoises in the wild! We had a great time observing the tortoises roaming and eating peacefully surrounded by the characteristic thick green vegetation of their habitats just as Charles Darwin saw them in his time.
