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The Galápagos or Galapagos Islands are named for their giant tortoises, [3] which were more plentiful at the time of their discovery. The Spanish word galápago derives from a pre-Roman Iberian word meaning "turtle", the meaning it still has in most dialects.
The Galápagos Islands are located off the west coast of South America straddling the equator. The Galápagos are located at the confluence of several currents including the cold Humboldt Current traveling north from South America and the Panama Current traveling south from Central America make the islands cooler and provide the perfect environment for the unique mix of wildlife that inhabits ...
This is a list of animals that live in the Galápagos Islands. The fauna of the Galápagos Islands include a total of 9,000 confirmed species. Of them, none have been introduced by humans, and seventeen are endemic. [citation needed] Due to amphibians intolerance of saltwater, no amphibians naturally occur on the Galapagos Islands.
Captive Galapagos tortoises can live up to 177 years. [5] For example, a captive individual, Harriet, lived for at least 175 years. Spanish explorers, who discovered the islands in the 16th century, named them after the Spanish galápago, meaning "tortoise". [6] Galápagos tortoises are native to seven of the Galápagos Islands.
A UNESCO mission arrived in Galapagos on 29 April to study the progress made since 2007. A favorite of visitors to the Galapagos is Tortuga Bay, located on the Santa Cruz Island, about a 20-minute walk from the main water taxi dock in Puerto Ayora. The walking path is 1.55 miles (2,490 m) and is open from six in the morning to six in the evening.
Galapagos flycatcher. Order: Passeriformes Family: Tyrannidae. Tyrant flycatchers are a group of American passerines which are not related to the Old World flycatchers of the family Muscicapidae. Fork-tailed flycatcher, Tyrannus savana (A) Eastern kingbird, Tyrannus tyrannus (A) Galapagos flycatcher, Myiarchus magnirostris (E)
Puerto Baquerizo Moreno is the oldest settlement in the Galápagos Islands. The El Progreso agricultural centre, located about 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) from the town, was established in 1879 as a Hacienda Progreso.
Only 12 subspecies now exist: one on each of the islands of Santiago, San Cristóbal, Pinzón, Española, and Fernandina; two on Santa Cruz; one on each of the five main volcanoes of the largest island, Isabela (Wolf, Darwin, Alcedo, Sierra Negra, and Cerro Azul); and one, abingdoni from Pinta Island, which is considered extinct as of June 24 ...