QUITO (Reuters) - Lonesome George, the last remaining giant tortoise of his kind, may soon be a father to the delight of conservationists. Unhatched eggs have been found in his "bachelor" pen in the Galapagos Islands, his keepers said on Tuesday. For decades, the last known Pinta island tortoise had shown little interest in reproducing. But at age 90, George is said to be in his sexual prime. Galapagos tortoises were among the species Charles Darwin observed to formulate his theory of... Read Full Story
The name Galapagos itself is a calling card that beckons you and thousands of tourists to its spectacular landscape and endemic species. After all, who would not want to visit such unique islands with no natural predators? Galapagos, bartolome island However, it is the fragile ecosystem of the Galapagos,which is under threat from a booming tourism industry, a growing local population and the introduction of invasive species. A group of marine iguanas on the Galapagos Islands These volcanic... Read Full Story
Working on my Bucket List and Stress Reduction
Blue Footed Booby
Dancing for the Ladies
Male on the left
I’m off to the Galapagos islands in search of the blue footed booby. This bird has always fascinated me and long been on my list to see. This seems like a good year to visit Galapagos because it is the 200 anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birth. He has always also been of great interest to me.
Here is some information on the Blue footed booby for those interested.
The Blue... Read Full Story
Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 3–A colorfully garbed couple take readers on a jaunty journey to the Galapagos Islands. For each day of the week, the rhymed text introduces one of the islands’ unique animals. The repetition of the chorus “We’re sailing to Galapagos. I wonder who we’ll see” encourages audience participation. The bright collages create striking vistas that will also enhance group sharing. The youngest listeners will enjoy the visit to... Read Full Story
Editorial Reviews
From The Washington Post
“Combining natural history…with pointers on specific sites and background on the state of conservation in the region today.”
–This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
“…it is the treatment of frogs and snakes that makes these volumes worth taking along.” — Winging It , June 1999
“…this convenient field guide-sized book is absolutely packed with information for the visitor.” — Steve Gantlett in... Read Full Story
Editorial Reviews
Completely updated and revised for this new edition, our unique electronic book on two CD-ROMs has an amazing collection of the finest federal documents and resources about Ecuador, providing encyclopedic coverage of all aspects of the country. This disc set provides a truly fantastic reference source, with over one hundred thousand pages reproduced in Adobe Acrobat format! There is complete coverage of newsworthy material about Ecuador, including doing business... Read Full Story
Scientists in the Galapagos Islands have installed cameras on the shells of giant tortoises in a study that could shed light on how they live, mate and migrate. Galapagos National Park official Washington Tapia says the research project includes two tortoises in captivity and a third in the wild. Tapia says scientists hope to learn about tortoises' nocturnal behavior, reproductive cycles and seasonal migration. He said Friday in a park statement the three-week study may be expanded if it... Read Full Story
Scientists say they could bring an extinct species of Galapagos tortoise back to life after discovering genetic traces of them in their descendants. Boffins say cross-breeding the relatives of the Geochelone elephantopus could re-create the extinct species - though it could take a century. But 98 of those years would be taken up by the tortoise walking to the lab. The animal is one of 15 species of giant tortoise which played a part in Charles Darwin formulating his theory of evolution - of... Read Full Story
Britain's Prince Charles was to head Monday to the Galapagos Islands on the final leg of a 10-day South American tour highlighting his commitment to battling climate change. The prince, accompanied by his wife Camilla, arrived in the Ecuadoran capital Quito on Sunday ahead of their flight to the archipelago, a pristine nature reserve which inspired Charles Darwin in his theory of evolution. Unlike on his previous stops, in Chile and Brazil, the heir to the British throne was not greeted by... Read Full Story
Editorial Reviews
The Rough Guide to Ecuador is your ultimate handbook to this fascinating and dramatically diverse country with complete coverage of the Galapagos islands. A full colour introduction gives an insight into the country’’s many highlights from snorkelling in the Galapagos to exploring Quito’’s colonial churches. There is plenty of practical advice on a range of activities from learning Spanish in Quito to climbing Volcan Cotopaxi. There are up-to-the-minute reviews of... Read Full Story
