Lonesome George, the famous Pinta Island tortoise of the Galapagos, has died. George was a beloved icon of the Galapagos Islands and his death comes as a shock to some. Scientists estimated his age at around 100 years which may seem old in human years but is actually middle-aged for giant tortoises who live to be 200 years. George was also the last surviving member of the Pinta Island subspecies [...]
Like Hawaii, the Galapagos Islands were impacted by the tsunami that resulted from the devastating earthquake that hit Japan on March 11, 2011. In general, the impact on the islands is not severe, but there was significant flooding in some areas. One of the areas that suffered the most significant damage with the Charles Darwin Research Center on Santa Cruz. The Marine Science labs flooded with several feet of water. [...]
UPDATE (March 12, 2011): The tsunami hit the Galapagos about an hour later than originally expected. Seas are choppier around the entire archipelago, but nothing too severe or extremely unusual. Waves at Academy Bay, in Puerto Ayora (Santa Cruz Island), were taller than normal as well, but there are no records of any damages caused to boats, coasts or ports in the Galapagos. The animals from the Charles Darwin Research [...]
In late May 2010, thirty-nine giant tortoises were released onto the Galapagos’ Pinta Island. Called the “Pinta Project 2010“, the release and monitoring of the tortoises is definitely a team effort that includes Ecuador’s Ministry of Environment, the Galapagos Conservancy, Galapagos National Park, State University of New York, and the Huston Zoo. Pinta Island has not seen tortoises on its shores for nearly 40 years, when the last known Pinta [...]
