There are five types of habitat zones in Galapagos: marine, shore, arid, transition and humid. Within these five broad categories, there are a number of different habitats.
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What type of ecosystem is the Galapagos Islands?
On the Galapagos Islands, there are three major ecosystems: terrestrial, coastal and marine. In the years of El Niño, the ecosystems show their characteristic behaviours. In the terrestrial zone predominate heavy rains, which has a positive effect on the animals and plants in this zone.
What type of islands are the Galapagos Islands?
The Galapagos Islands are formed of lava piles and dotted with shield volcanoes, many of which are periodically active. The striking ruggedness of the arid landscape is accentuated by high volcanic mountains, craters, and cliffs.
Is Galapagos a tropical island?
Galapagos is on the Equator but the weather is not tropical. Temperatures range from 69°-84°F / 21°-30°C. Warm season is from January to June. Dry season is from July to December.
Are the Galapagos Islands habitable?
A: The Galapagos has four inhabited islands that each offer hotel options: Santa Cruz, San Cristobal, Isabela, and Floreana. The other islands and islets of the archipelago are not inhabited by humans, and do not permit any overnight stays. In fact, visiting sites are only accessible from 6 am to 6 pm.
What is the climate like in the Galapagos Islands?
The Galápagos Islands, located in the Pacific Ocean, about a thousand kilometers (600 miles) west of Ecuador, have a peculiar climate, tropical and semi-arid, with a hot, relatively rainy season from January to May and a cool, dry, cloudy, and misty season, from July to November.
What is the biodiversity of the Galapagos Islands?
The Galapagos Islands are home to some of the highest levels of endemism (species found nowhere else on earth) anywhere on the planet. About 80% of the land birds you will see, 97% of the reptiles and land mammals, and more than 30% of the plants are endemic.
Why are the Galapagos Islands special?
The Galápagos Islands are a chain of islands, or archipelago, in the eastern Pacific Ocean. They are part of the country of Ecuador, in South America.The Galápagos are best known for their diverse array of plant and animal species. Many species are endemic, which means they are not found anywhere else in the world.
What are the Galapagos Islands known for?
Six hundred miles off the coast of Ecuador lies the Galápagos Archipelago: a world unto itself, forged of lava and isolated for thousands of years. The islands are known for their famously fearless wildlife and as a source of inspiration for Darwin’s theory of evolution.
Why are the Galapagos Islands so diverse?
The Galapagos Islands are so biodiverse because of the many different habitat zones that can be found across the Islands. There are coral reefs, highland forests, sand dunes and scrubland, and the changing habitats from island to island. Species diversity is only one piece of the biodiversity puzzle.
Are the Galapagos Islands Cold?
Galapagos Island weather is divided into two distinct seasons, the “warm” season occurs December through May and the “cool” season occurs June through November. Warm and cool are relative since temperatures are always quite warm.
Does it snow in Galapagos?
On average, February is the wettest month with 4.33 inch (110.0 mm) of precipitation.On average, September is the driest month with 0.31 inch (8.0 mm) of precipitation.
Which natural process created the Galapagos Islands?
The Galapagos Islands were formed millions of years ago by volcanic activity. Discover how tectonic shifts created the islands and how deep below the sea, organisms thrive in the vicinity of hydrothermal vents.
Can humans live on the Galapagos Islands?
People live on only 5 of the 19 islands of the Galápagos: Baltra, Floreana, Isabela, San Cristobal and Santa Cruz. Puerto Ayora is the biggest town, where about 10,000 people live.Tourism has steadily grown over the last two decades; in 2012 it is estimated that 200,000 tourists will visit the Galápagos Islands.
What is wrong with the Galapagos Islands?
The Galapagos Islands face many environmental threats. Ecosystem degradation could be caused by: climate change, deforestation, pollution, overfishing, eutrophication and the introduction of invasive species.
Do humans inhabit the Galapagos Islands?
The Galapagos Population Today – Do people live on the Galapagos Islands. Currently, four islands are inhabited, with a total of around 30,000 inhabitants. The largest ethnic group is Ecuadorian Mestizos. In 1959, only 1,000 to 2,000 people lived on the islands, growing to 15,000 by the 1980s.
How cold is the water in the Galapagos Islands?
Surface Water Temperature: 71°F – 74 °F
The waters of the Galapagos are influenced by the Humboldt Current that brings cold water to the islands, especially during the mist or Garua season (cool, dry weather) from June to December.
What wildlife is in the Galapagos Islands?
Top 10 Galapagos Islands Animals
- Galapagos Tortoises. The iconic tortoises are probably the most important species on the Galapagos Islands and the most famous.
- Marine Iguana.
- Galapagos Finches.
- Galapagos Penguin.
- Blue-Footed Booby.
- Galapagos Sealions.
- Magnificent Frigatebird.
- Sally Lightfoot Crabs.
Can you swim in the Galapagos Islands?
The Galapagos have some of the best beaches in the world.
Many locations are great for beach snorkeling as well. From December to May, it is very warm and sunny in the islands, making it ideal for swimming in the comfortable shallow waters.
What kind of special adaptations do the animals and plants have in the Galapagos?
These adaptations include a short, blunt stout, a long, flat, incredibly strong tail that propels it through the water, and a special gland that allows it to expel excess salt from its body.
What kinds of plants are endemic to the Galapagos Islands?
Three types of endemic cacti dominate the landscape here; lava, candelabra, and prickly pear, the staple diet of land iguanas and giant tortoises.
