Espanola (Hood) Island
An unforgettable cruise through the Galápagos draws to a close. Espanola is a small island located all the way to the southeast of the archipelago, and we spent the day visiting two of its spectacular visitor sites.
The sun shone intensely and the snorkelling around Turtle Islet was very good. We found large schools of yellow tailed surgeon fish, king angelfish, cardinal fish and many more.
After our snorkelling outing, we landed on the beach and walked on our own, communing with sea lions that looked particularly charming against the white and turquoise backdrop. As we sat enjoying the beach, the small, fearless, endemic hood mockingbirds were all around us, even landing on us on their never-ending quest for water (that, of course, we were not allowed to relent to…).
That afternoon the Islander repositioned to Punta Suarez, which is considered a great wildlife high.
The population of giant tortoises on Espanola was found to be so reduced by human depredation that by 1965 only 14 individuals were found (12 females and 2 males). These giant tortoises were taken to the Charles Darwin Research Station to create a captive rearing program. The Rearing Center has been very successful and now over 1,000 giant tortoises, incubated artificially in Santa Cruz, have been repatriated and the natural population is on the increase, as they have now started breeding in the wild once more. Vital to the program was the need to restore the island, devastated by feral goats, to its former pristine state. The hunting carried out by the National Park began in 1970 and by October of 1978, they succeeded in eliminating all goats.
Although the tortoises of the island are found too far inland for us to encounter, it is not so with the Galápagos sea lions, which were everywhere! They were nursing, calling, play fighting and just generally living their lives, oblivious to our fascinated presence.
Espanola is also home to just three species of Darwin’s finch, all of which are easily seen: a subspecies of large cactus finch (Geospiza conirostris), which looks much like the large ground finch; the small ground finch(Geospiza fuliginosa), and the warbler finch(Certhidea olivacea).
The geology of Espanola has often been a puzzle, as the island was once considered to be formed by uplifting alone, but recent evidence suggests that it has witnessed volcanic eruptions in the past. Espanola is known as the oldest island, approximately 3.3 million years. Some species here have evolved in unique ways, probably due to significant isolation from other islands. Marine iguanas are good examples and also the lava lizards. One of the four species of mockingbirds is only found here.
An unforgettable cruise through the Galápagos draws to a close. Espanola is a small island located all the way to the southeast of the archipelago, and we spent the day visiting two of its spectacular visitor sites.
The sun shone intensely and the snorkelling around Turtle Islet was very good. We found large schools of yellow tailed surgeon fish, king angelfish, cardinal fish and many more.
After our snorkelling outing, we landed on the beach and walked on our own, communing with sea lions that looked particularly charming against the white and turquoise backdrop. As we sat enjoying the beach, the small, fearless, endemic hood mockingbirds were all around us, even landing on us on their never-ending quest for water (that, of course, we were not allowed to relent to…).
That afternoon the Islander repositioned to Punta Suarez, which is considered a great wildlife high.
The population of giant tortoises on Espanola was found to be so reduced by human depredation that by 1965 only 14 individuals were found (12 females and 2 males). These giant tortoises were taken to the Charles Darwin Research Station to create a captive rearing program. The Rearing Center has been very successful and now over 1,000 giant tortoises, incubated artificially in Santa Cruz, have been repatriated and the natural population is on the increase, as they have now started breeding in the wild once more. Vital to the program was the need to restore the island, devastated by feral goats, to its former pristine state. The hunting carried out by the National Park began in 1970 and by October of 1978, they succeeded in eliminating all goats.
Although the tortoises of the island are found too far inland for us to encounter, it is not so with the Galápagos sea lions, which were everywhere! They were nursing, calling, play fighting and just generally living their lives, oblivious to our fascinated presence.
Espanola is also home to just three species of Darwin’s finch, all of which are easily seen: a subspecies of large cactus finch (Geospiza conirostris), which looks much like the large ground finch; the small ground finch(Geospiza fuliginosa), and the warbler finch(Certhidea olivacea).
The geology of Espanola has often been a puzzle, as the island was once considered to be formed by uplifting alone, but recent evidence suggests that it has witnessed volcanic eruptions in the past. Espanola is known as the oldest island, approximately 3.3 million years. Some species here have evolved in unique ways, probably due to significant isolation from other islands. Marine iguanas are good examples and also the lava lizards. One of the four species of mockingbirds is only found here.
