The Galapagos Archipelago is famous for being a living laboratory, and for its unique flora and fauna. Despite the short distance from island to island, the relative isolation of each island has allowed for the formation of unique forms of animals and plants—this is what scientists have referred to as speciation or adaptive radiation in oceanic islands. During this week, we will have the chance to see the four species of mockingbirds found in Galapagos, which are excellent examples of this adaptive radiation. It is just our second full day in this isolated archipelago, and so far we have seen three species of mockingbirds already.
In addition to the mockingbirds, there are many additional examples of adaptive radiations in this archipelago such as: the famous Darwin finches, the iconic Galapagos giant tortoises, our Galapagos marine and land iguanas, lava lizards, scalesia, prickly pear cactus, and many other examples that we are going to see this week.
Floreana Island was severely impacted by introduced animals, which were brought here as domesticated animals. These creatures became a big problem for the ecosystem on the islands, as they ran away and became feral, often preying upon the endemic species here and destroying the plants that serve as their food source. We are very glad to inform our guests that over the past ten years, this island has been restored, and we are amazed to see this spectacular recovery of the flora and fauna, which are unique to this island.
We disembarked very early this morning to visit Punta Cormorant. This visitor’s site has a brackish lagoon, which is the home to pink flamingos, and this time of the year Pacific green sea turtles are nesting as well. It was a rewarding early activity for everyone.
We continued our adventure with a Zodiac ride and snorkeling activity at a small island off the coast of Floreana. Both activities were very successful, and we were impressed by the amount of species that we spotted on land and in the water.
We finished our day with a visit to the famous post office barrel, after which both Zodiac riding and kayaking were offered. This place gave our explorers the opportunity to see the variety of environments that exist in this unique and enchanting place, and we are excited to see what tomorrow has in store for us, as our exploration continues.
