Galapagos Islands Are the Mystical Journey of a Lifetime
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Load more
Recommended publications
-
„Fernandina“ – Itinerary
Beluga: „Fernandina“ – Itinerary This itinerary focuses on the Central and Western Islands, including visits to Western Isabela and Ferndina Island, two of the highlights of the Galapagos Islands. Day 1 (Friday): Arrive at Baltra Airport / Santa Cruz Island Santa Cruz Island • Highlands of Santa Cruz: Galapagos giant tortoises can be seen in the wild in the highlands of Santa Cruz • Charles Darwin Station: Visit the Charles Darwin Station is a research facility and National Park Information center. The Charles Darwin Station has a giant tortoise and land iguana breeding program and interpretation center. Day 2 (Saturday): Floreana Island Floreana Island: Floreana is best known for its colorful history of buccaneers, whalers, convicts, and early colonists. • Punta Cormorant: Punta Cormorant has two contrasting beaches and a large inland lagoon where pink flamingoes can be seen. • Devil’s Crown: This is a snorkeling site located just off Punta Cormorant. The site is a completely submerged volcano that has eroded to create the appearance of a jagged crown. • Post Office Bay: This is one of the few sites visited for its human history. Visit the wooden mail barrel where letters are dropped off and picked up and remains of the Norwegian fishing village. Day 3 (Sunday): Isabela Island Isabela Island (Albemarle): Isabela is the largest of the Galapagos Islands formed by five active volcanoes fused together. Wolf Volcano is the highest point in the entire Galapagos at 1707m. • Sierra Negra : Volcan Sierra Negra has a caldera with a diameter of 10km. View recent lava flows, moist highland vegetation, and parasitic cones. • Puerto Villamil: Puerto Villamil is a charming small town on a white sand beach. -
Distribution and Current Status of Rodents in the Galapagos
April 1994 NOTICIAS DE GALÁPAGOS 2I DISTRIBUTION AND CURRENT STATUS OF RODENTS IN THE GALÁPAGOS By: Gillian Key and Edgar Muñoz Heredia. INTRODUCTION (GPNS) and the Charles Darwin Resea¡ch Station (CDRS) in their continuing efforts to protecr the The uniqueness and scientific importance of the unique wildlife of the islands. Galápagos Islands has longbeenrecognized, although the c¡eation of the National Park in 1959 came after ENDEMIC RODENTS several centuries of sporadic use and colonization by man. Undoubtedly, the lack of water in the islands Seven species of endemicricerats a¡eknown from has been thei¡ savior by limiting the extent and dura- the Archipelago, of which the seventh was only rel- tion of many early attempts to colonize. Even so the atively recently discove¡ed from owl pellets on impact of man has been severe in the Archipelago, Fernandina island (Ilutterer & Hirsch 1979), Brosset and the biggest problems for conservation today are ( 1 963 ) and Niethammer ( 1 9 64) have summarized the the introduced species of plants and animals. These available information on the six species known at introduced species are frequently pests to the human that time, including last sightings and probable dates inhabitants as well as to the native flora and fauna, to ofextinction. Galápagosricerats belongto twoclosely the former by damaging crops and goods, and to the related generaof oryzomys rodents and were distrib- latter by competition, predation and transmission of uted among the six islands (Table 1). disease. Patton and Hafner (1983) concluded that rats of The feral mammals in particular constitute a ma- the genus Nesoryzomys arrived in the Archipelago jorproblem, principally due to their size and numbers. -
Ecuador & the Galapagos Islands
Ecuador & the Galapagos Islands - including Sacha Lodge Extension Naturetrek Tour Report 29 January – 20 February 2018 Medium Ground-finch Blue-footed Booby Wire-tailed Manakin Galapagos Penguin Green Sea Turtle Report kindly compiled by Tour participants Sally Wearing, Rowena Tye, Debbie Hardie and Sue Swift Images courtesy of David Griffiths, Sue Swift, Debbie Hardie, Jenny Tynan, Rowena Tye, Nick Blake and Sally Wearing Naturetrek Mingledown Barn Wolf’s Lane Chawton Alton Hampshire GU34 3HJ UK T: +44 (0)1962 733051 E: [email protected] W: www.naturetrek.co.uk Tour Report Ecuador & the Galapagos Islands - including Sacha Lodge Extension Tour Leader in the Galapagos: Juan Tapia with 13 Naturetrek Clients This report has kindly been compiled by tour participants Sally Wearing, Rowena Tye, Debbie Hardie and Sue Swift. Day 1 Monday 29th January UK to Quito People arrived in Quito via Amsterdam with KLM or via Madrid with Iberia, while Tony came separately from the USA. Everyone was met at the airport and taken to the Hotel Vieja Cuba; those who were awake enough went out to eat before a good night’s rest. Day 2 Tuesday 30th January Quito. Weather: Hot and mostly sunny. The early risers saw the first few birds of the trip outside the hotel: Rufous- collared Sparrow, Great Thrush and Eared Doves. After breakfast, an excellent guide took us on a bus and walking tour of Quito’s old town. This started with the Basilica del Voto Nacional, where everyone marvelled at the “grotesques” of native Ecuadorian animals such as frigatebirds, iguanas and tortoises. -
Pikaia Lodge 3 Nights Exploration Package
2016 – 2017 Exploration Chart & Description* 3-NIGHT EXPLORATION PACKAGE FRIDAYFRIDAY SATURDAYSATURDAY SUNDAY MONDAYMONDAY 3-NIGHT3-NIGHT S.. PlazaPlaza IslandIsland___ EXPLORATIONEXPLORATION CHECKCHECK SANTASANTA ___ CHECKCHECK ININ CRUZCRUZ Santaanta Fe Fe OUTOUT PACKAGEPACKAGE IslandIsland FULLFULL DAY DAY PIKAIA PIKAIA I YACHT I YACHT FULLFULL DAY EXPLORATION LAND EXPLORATION EXPLORATION LAND EXPLORATION GALAPAGOS ISLANDS GALAPAGOS ISLANDS North Seymour I. Pinta Genovesa North Seymour I. Pinta Mosquera Island Genovesa Mosquera Island Marchena Baltra Island Marchena Itabaca Channel Baltra Island Santiago Itabaca Channel Bartolome Santiago BartolomeNorth Seymour South Rabida North BaltraSeymour PlazaSouth I. Santa Pikaia Fernandina BaltraSouth Plaza Plaza I. Rabida Santa LodgePikaia Fernandina South Plaza Cruz Santa Santa Fe Cruz Lodge Cruz San Cristobal Santa Santa Fe Isabela Cruz Puerto Ayora San Cristobal Puerto Ayora Isabela Floreana Española Santa Fe I. Floreana FOR THIS PACKAGE,Española GUESTS ARRIVE EACH FRIDAY, ALL YEAR ROUND Santa Fe I. FOR THIS PACKAGE, GUESTS ARRIVE EACH FRIDAY, ALL YEAR ROUND DAY 1 - FRIDAY Arrival at Pikaia Lodge - Morning check-in at Guayaquil or Quito international airports. The flight time from Quito to Guayaquil is 40 minutes. There is a 40-minute transit in Guayaquil Airport. Flight time from Guayaquil to the Islands is 1 hour and 40 minutes. FLIGHTS FROM QUITO TO GALAPAGOS (GPS/BALTRA) FLIGHTS FROM GUAYAQUIL TO GALAPAGOS (GPS/BALTRA) DAY DEPARTURE ARRIVAL AIRLINE DAY DEPARTURE ARRIVAL AIRLINE Friday 06:35 09:00 TAME - EQ191 Friday 08:10 09:00 TAME - EQ191 Friday 06:55 08:10 LAN - XL1557 Friday 09:40 10:40 LAN - XL1551 Friday 09:00 11:30 TAME - EQ193 Friday 10:40 11:30 TAME - EQ193 - Guests will have access to the VIP Lounge at Baltra Airport (GPS). -
Introduction Itinerary
GALAPAGOS ISLANDS - ALYA | 6 DAY WESTERN ISLANDS TRIP CODE ECGSA6 DEPARTURE Select Mondays DURATION 6 Days LOCATIONS Galapagos Islands: Santa Cruz, Isabela, Fernandina and Santiago Islands INTRODUCTION GREAT CHIMU SALE EXCLUSIVE: Book and Save up to 33%* off select Departures Explore the Western islands of the Galapagos on this 6 Day Cruise. On board the luxury Alya catamaran you will find a unique blend of high service and comfortable modernity that makes cruising through the Galapagos an unbeatable experience. Within 6 Days you will explore 4 unique islands and smaller islets each extremely different from the last. On the shores of Bachas beach you will find the remnants of WWII US ships, in the highlands of Santa Cruz you may encounter roaming giant tortoises, at Urbina Bay you will witness large colonies of marine iguanas. Each experience in the Galapagos is entirely unique. The Alya Experience The Alya is designed to get the most out of your experience. Launched in 2017, this superior first-class motor catamaran offers comfort and luxury. This is the wonderful vessel to cruise the Galapagos. The ship offers 9 comfortable cabins, all tastefully decorated and featuring private facilities. The catamaran sails with a crew of 8 plus a bilingual, certified naturalist guide ensuring you get the most out of your time onboard the Alya and in the Galapagos. You have the opportunity to explore the Galapagos archipelago with activities such as hiking, snorkelling and kayaking. The cruise can provide you with a comfortable retreat after adventure-packed days of exploration. While sailing the pristine waters you can relax onboard and enjoy the panoramic views from the comfort of the ship. -
Day 1: Saturday Day 2: Sunday
www.royalgalapagos.com Cormorant I 8-day Cruise "A" (Santa Cruz, Genovesa, South Plaza, Santa Fe, San Cristobal, Española, Floreana, Santa Cruz) Day 1: Saturday SANTA CRUZ ISLAND In the morning: Baltra Airport Arrival Morning flight from Quito or Guayaquil to Baltra, Galapagos Islands. You will arrive at Baltra Island in the morning. After passing through immigration and baggage claim, you will be met by a Cormorant I staff member and transferred to the yacht. You will be shown to your cabin where you will have some time to settle in before lunch and a welcome briefing. In the afternoon: Bachas Beach Bachas Beach is located on the north shore of Santa Cruz and is a beach for swimming. One of the few remnants of the U.S. World War II presence in the Galapagos, a floating pier, can be seen here. You may see flamingos, Sally Lightfoot crabs, hermit crabs, black-necked stilts, and whimbrels. Sea turtles also nest on the beach. Bachas Beach, Santa Cruz Island Possible Activities: Hiking Difficulty: Easy Type of Landing: Wet Landing Highlights & Animals: World War II remnants. Sally Lightfoot crabs, hermit crabs, black necked stilts, whimbrels, sea turtles. Day 2: Sunday GENOVESA ISLAND In the morning: El Barranco El Barranco, also known as Prince Phillip’s Steps, is a steep, rocky path that leads up a high cliff rock face. A marvelous view can be appreciated from here. This site is also home to Palo Santo vegetation as well as red-footed boobies, short-eared owls, Galapagos storm petrels, and Galapagos doves. El Barranco, Genovesa Island Possible Activities: Hiking (0,9 miles / 2 Km) Difficulty: Moderate Type of Landing: Dry Landing Highlights & Animals: Red-footed boobies, short-eared owls, storm-petrels, Galapagos doves In the afternoon: Darwin Bay Visit the white-sand coral beach of Darwin Bay which includes a half mile trail (0,75km) that winds through mangroves filled with land birds. -
Giant Tortoises Under Threat by EM
Giant Tortoises Under Threat by E. M. Fay Tortoises are among the longest-living animals on earth. Land-dwelling turtles of the family Testudinidae, they are vegetarian reptiles. Although they are found on 6 of the seven continents and on some islands, most of the approx. 40 living species are in Africa, especially in Madagascar. Giant tortoises are believed to have developed at least as early as the Cretaceous Period, over 100 million years ago. Slow-moving under their high, domed shells, giant tortoises have sturdy legs. In certain folklore, they represent determination, deliberateness, long life, and wisdom. When countries and cultures were relatively separate from one another, traditional cultural beliefs afforded a certain amount of protection to this ancient race. As Mr. Herilala Randriamahazo, an official of Madagascar’s Turtle Survival Alliance says, “People respected tortoises. They did not even touch them.” As man travelled more extensively around the world, however, and those humans from countries unfamiliar with giant tortoises “discovered” them, they tended to think of these majestic beings as just another resource to be exploited. Tortoises are now extinct on most of their former island homes because they were slaughtered for their meat and their shells. Their habitats were destroyed both by man himself, and by the introduction http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13799205 (by humans) to their islands of goats, pigs, rats, and other animals who ate their eggs and their young, and competed with them for food. Giant tortoises once native to some 30 islands in the Indian Ocean now have only one representative group living, those from South Aldabra Island. -
Kinkaid School Quito & Galapagos Islands January 7
KINKAID SCHOOL QUITO & GALAPAGOS ISLANDS JANUARY 7 – 15, 2016 Day 1 ~ Thursday, January 7, 2016 Houston/Quito Depart Houston flying to Quito, Ecuador. Upon arrival, meet, assist and transfer to the hotel. Colon Hilton Quito Day 2 ~ Friday, January 8, 2016 Quito Spend the morning in Quito’s Colonial Quarter, which is a UNESCO World Hertiage Site. Begin in Independence Plaza, flanked by the Cathedral, the Presidential Palace, the Municipal Building and the Archbishop’s Palace. Visit the temple of La Compania de Jesus with its gilded interior. Continue on to the Monastery of San Francisco, one of the great religious buildings of the New World; its impressive façade and atrium that led to its Baroque interior influence. After a lunch at a restaurant in Quito or the equator area, continue through the bustling city and small villages to the Intiñan Solar Museum. This eccentric and interactive museum has demonstrations of various equator and solar-related phenomena, such as the Coriolis Effect and strength tests. Learn about the effects of the magnetic line 00°00’00”. The museum also houses a collection of totem poles, respresentative artwork of America and other continents whose territories are intersected by the equator, a coral of Andean camelids and models of traditional houses. This evening, enjoy a typical Ecuadorian dinner at La Choza, accompanied by a traditional folklore show of music and dancing by the Jacchigua Folklore Ballet Group. Colon Hilton Quito (B, L, D) Day 3 ~ Saturday, January 9, 2016 Quito Morning transfer to Quito airport for flight to the Galapagos Islands. Arrive Baltra Island Airport, for a bus transfer to Santa Cruz Island via the Itabaca Channel. -
Author Index
Author Index Agrell, S. 0., 54 Durham, J. W., v, 13, 14, 15, 16, 51, 84, Allen, R., 190 105, 188 Arrhenius, G., vi, 169 Aoki, K, vi, 14, 52, 162, 172, 174, 185, Eibl-Eibesfeldt, I., 101, 188 187, 189 Engel, A. E. J., 188 Ericson, D. B., 188 Bailey, E. B., 166, 187 Ewing, M., 170, 188, 189 Bandy, M. C., 187 Banfield, A. F., 5, 22, 55, 56, 59, 60, 70, Fisher, R. L., 188 110, 124, 187 Friedlaender, I, 98, 99, 188 Barr, K. G., 190 Bass, M. N., vi, 167, 169 Gass, I., 175, 177, 189 Bates, H. W., 113, 187 Gast, P. W., 133, 188 Behre, M. H. Jr., 5, 187 Goldberg, E. D., 170, 190 Best, M. G„ 165, 187 Granja, J. C., v, 83, 84, 85, 188 Bott, M. H. P., 181, 187 Green, D. H., 188 Bowman, Robert, v, 79, 80, 90 Green, W. Lowthian, 98, 188 Brown, G. M., 157, 159, 160, 187 Grim, P. J., 189 Bryan, W. B., 187 Bunsen, R., 141, 187 Hedge, C., 188 Heezen, B. C., 188 Carmichael, I. S. E., 159, 187 Hess, H. H„ 157, 188 Carter, G. F. 115, 191 Howard, K. A., 80, 81,190 Castro, Miguel, vi, 76 Cavagnaro, D., 16, 33, 34, 78, 94, 187 Iljima, Azuma, vi, 31, 54 Chase, T. E., vi, 7, 98, 109, 110, 189, 190 Katsura, T., 77, 125, 136, 145, 172, 173, Chesterman, C. W., 11, 31, 168, 188 189 Chubb, L. J., 5, 9, 21, 46, 55, 60, 63, 98, Kennedy, W. -
Giant Tortoises with Pinta Island Ancestry Identified In
Biological Conservation 157 (2013) 225–228 Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Biological Conservation journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/biocon Short communication The genetic legacy of Lonesome George survives: Giant tortoises with Pinta Island ancestry identified in Galápagos a, a a,b c d Danielle L. Edwards ⇑, Edgar Benavides , Ryan C. Garrick , James P. Gibbs , Michael A. Russello , Kirstin B. Dion a, Chaz Hyseni a, Joseph P. Flanagan e, Washington Tapia f, Adalgisa Caccone a a Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA b Department of Biology, University of Mississippi, MS 38677, USA c College of Environmental Science and Forestry, State University of New York, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA d Department of Biology, University of British Columbia, Okanagan Campus, Kelowna, BC, Canada V1V 1V7 e Houston Zoo, Houston, TX 77030, USA f Galápagos National Park Service, Puerto Ayora, Galápagos, Ecuador article info abstract Article history: The death of Lonesome George, the last known purebred individual of Chelonoidis abingdoni native to Received 22 August 2012 Pinta Island, marked the extinction of one of 10 surviving giant tortoise species from the Galápagos Archi- Received in revised form 9 October 2012 pelago. Using a DNA reference dataset including historical C. abingdoni and >1600 living Volcano Wolf Accepted 14 October 2012 tortoise samples, a site on Isabela Island known to harbor hybrid tortoises, we discovered 17 individuals with ancestry in C. abingdoni. These animals belong to various hybrid categories, including possible first generation hybrids, and represent multiple, unrelated individuals. Their ages and relative abundance sug- Keywords: gest that additional hybrids and conceivably purebred C. -
Non-Native Small Terrestrial Vertebrates in the Galapagos 2 3 Diego F
1 Non-Native Small Terrestrial Vertebrates in the Galapagos 2 3 Diego F. Cisneros-Heredia 4 5 Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Laboratorio de Zoología 6 Terrestre & Museo de Zoología, Quito 170901, Ecuador 7 8 King’s College London, Department of Geography, London, UK 9 10 Email address: [email protected] 11 12 13 14 Introduction 15 Movement of propagules of a species from its current range to a new area—i.e., extra-range 16 dispersal—is a natural process that has been fundamental to the development of biogeographic 17 patterns throughout Earth’s history (Wilson et al. 2009). Individuals moving to new areas usually 18 confront a different set of biotic and abiotic variables, and most dispersed individuals do not 19 survive. However, if they are capable of surviving and adapting to the new conditions, they may 20 establish self-sufficient populations, colonise the new areas, and even spread into nearby 21 locations (Mack et al. 2000). In doing so, they will produce ecological transformations in the 22 new areas, which may lead to changes in other species’ populations and communities, speciation 23 and the formation of new ecosystems (Wilson et al. 2009). 24 25 Human extra-range dispersals since the Pleistocene have produced important distribution 26 changes across species of all taxonomic groups. Along our prehistory and history, we have aided 27 other species’ extra-range dispersals either by deliberate translocations or by ecological 28 facilitation due to habitat changes or modification of ecological relationships (Boivin et al. 29 2016). -
The Galápagos Islands, 600 Miles O the Coast of Ecuador, Are Often
AWE-INSPIRING EXPERIENCE LA PINTA A full-week discovery trip to the Galápagos Islands aboard La he Galápagos Islands, 600 miles o the coast of Ecuador, are often described as Pinta allows encounters with unique fauna in the wild, like the most exotic adventure destination. The Islands are universally admired for the famous giant Galápagos tortoises, land and marine iguanas, amingos, penguins, blue-footed boobies and the famous their unusual, human-tolerant wildlife, surreal volcanic landscapes and dramatic Darwin’s nches. T After intense days of wildlife exploration, La Pinta equatorial skies. The unique island environment provides an ideal setting for those provides a haven of relaxation and tranquility with tastefully interewsted in photography, hiking, bird watching, snorkeling and kayaking. appointed accommodations and all the facilities for a stylish yet informal ambiance. This 10-day special expedition, unlike any Galápagos cruise, has been designed by La Pinta guests will cover all aspects of the Galápagos: discovery, adventure, environmental interpretation, aquatic the most knowledgeable experts on the Galápagos. Learn about Darwin’s voyage to the activities, relaxation, superb service and great dining. Galápagos Islands over 150 years ago by our onboard guest speakers and tour leaders. Naturalist guides enhance their interpretative skills with the use of state-of-the-art expedition equipment. The Understand Darwin’s discoveries upon his return to England and the eect this new sta embraces a spirit of adventure, while at the same