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.
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How would you describe the Galapagos Islands?
The Galapagos Islands are part of the country of Ecuador, a UNESCO World Heritage site and a renown National Park. They are situated in the Pacific Ocean about 605 miles (1,000 kilometers) west of northern South America. The islands emerged from the bottom of the sea in the form of astonishing volcanic upheavals.
What is unique about the Galapagos Islands?
The Galapagos Islands are uniquely located on both sides of the equator in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. The islands are situated at a point in the Pacific Ocean where three ocean currents collide, creating a unique area in the sea where warm and varying degrees of cold water meet.
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 is Galapagos Island 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 does the Galapagos Islands have high biodiversity?
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 Tropical?
Galapagos Islands Weather
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.
How did animals get to Galápagos Islands?
BY AIR. Wind is thought to have played a major role in transporting spores of the lower-form plants, such as ferns, mosses, and lichens, to the Galapagos Islands.The weaker-flying land birds and bats (2 species) likely arrived with the help of the wind.
Do humans live on Galapagos?
Where do people live in Galapagos and how is the population growing? Only four of the archipelago’s thirteen major islands have human populations: Santa Cruz, San Cristobal, Isabela and Floreana.
Are Komodo dragons on the Galápagos Islands?
Komodo dragons live on several islands in Indonesia, not the Galapagos islands. They live in forests and grasslands near the beach on these islands…
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.
What type of islands are the Galapagos Islands quizlet?
the Galapagos islands are volcanic in origin and several volcanoes in the west of the archipelago are still very active, especially those on Isla Fernandina, Isla Isabela and Isla Santiago. You just studied 22 terms!
How many species are on the Galapagos Islands?
9,000 species
Nearly 9,000 species are found on the islands and their surrounding waters, many of them endemic.
Who discovered Galapagos Islands?
Fray Tomás de Berlanga
In 1535, the Islands were officially discovered by Fray Tomás de Berlanga (the Bishop of Panama at the time). He was ordered to sail to Peru by Charles V to provide a report on activities there. He set sail from Panama on 23 February 1535. The strong ocean current carried him out to the Galapagos Islands.
What does the word Galapagos mean?
: tortoise specifically : one of the very large land tortoises of the Galápagos islands.
What happened in the Galapagos Islands?
A famous rock formation off the Galapagos Islands known as Darwin’s Arch has collapsed. The Ecuadoran Ministry of Environment said it was due to “natural erosion”.
What are 3 characteristics of the Galapagos tortoise?
Shell functions (Chiari et al. 2009)
- Protection.
- Regulation of body temperature (thermoregulation)
- Facilitation of mating and reproduction.
- Ability to turn over (“self-righting”)
- Locomotion.
- Storage of water, fat, and wastes.
How did the Galapagos Islands become so diverse?
Repeated volcanic eruptions helped to form the rugged mountain landscape of the Galápagos Islands. 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.
Are Galapagos tortoise keystone species?
The Galapagos giant tortoise is a keystone species and its population has declined as a result of human activity.Galapagos giant tortoises shape their habitats by grazing on plants, dispersing plant seeds and trampling areas of vegetation.
What is the Galapagos Islands climate?
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.
Can I visit the Galapagos Islands?
Ninety-five percent of the land area of Galapagos is designated as protected by the Galapagos National Park Directorate (GNPD), and tourists are permitted to explore specific visitor sites only with Park-certified naturalist guides (refer to the Park rules).
