There are many different kinds of life forms that makeup the Galapagos Islands spread throughout its sixteen main islands and six smaller islands. The Galapagos Islands have many different life forms that make up three different categories which include; birds, marine life, and land dwellers. “In 1987 UNESCO recognized the islands as a world heritage site, and in 1985 a biosphere reserve. This was later extended in December 2001 to include the marine reserve”. (Wikipedia, 2007) Some of the more rare land dwellers include giant tortoises, marine iguanas, and lava lizards. The Galapagos Islands were in fact named after the giant tortoises that were on the island. These giant tortoises can survive a long time without any food or water. The giant tortoises can survive on any pert of the islands that make up the Galapagos Island but do better when in the vegetated parts of the island. At one point there were around fourteen or fifteen different types of these giant tortoises on the Galapagos Islands but today there is more like ten. Another type of species found on the Galapagos Islands is the land iguana. When Charles Darwin came to the Galapagos Islands there were so many that it was hard for Darwin and his colleagues to find an area to pitch a tent. Now these land iguanas only remain left on three of the Islands. These land iguanas are herbivores and eat berries and leafs. Another rare type of land species found in the Galapagos Islands is the lava lizard. These lava lizards are very active during the day and are always catching insects. There are also known for spending a large portion of their day just sitting on rocks. The lava lizards live on the smaller islands and their population is diminishing due to black rats and feral cats. Now only one species of lava lizards can be found on any one island at a time. The Galapagos Islands is also home to many marine life species which include fur seals, California Sea Lions, and rays. The fur Seals can only be found in the archipelago and are named after their distinct thick fur. Fur seals like to live in smaller more secluded groups on rocky shores. The California Sea Lions are great swimmers but are known for their clumsiness on land. Sea Lions are known as clowns of the Galapagos Islands because of the tricks they play on humans and land iguanas.
When you think of an ecosystem, you might think of lush forests, or wide oceans, abundant with wildlife. However, the Saguaro desert is unique in its own way. Hidden amongst the 91,446 million acres of this hot, harsh, desert, are a world of organisms that thrive to survive. Located in Arizona, this park’s variety of plant and animal life surpass all other North American deserts. It is divided into two districts, named after the mountain ranges that surround the park; named the Tuscan and Rincon. The saguaro cacti are very important to this ecosystem. In fact, the ecosystem is named after this massive cactus that calls this place its home. One very important organism that lives in the Saguaro desert is the horned lizard.
Known as Pterois Volitans in the animal kingdom, also called the red lionfish, is a sight to behold in the tropical waters as they swim like an underwater butterfly in the sea. In waters not native to their origin, as they are from the Pacific and have predators that will have them for a snack. Invasive to the Caribbean Sea they have rapidly reached the Gulf of Mexico and far south, spreading to parts of South America. The lionfish has become a persistent pest that’s more trouble than what it appears to be, attractive yet deceptive with a striking pattern of white and red stripes. In the New York Times article, A Call to Action… and Even Rodeos, scientists say that, “from 2005 onward, lionfish have become the most numerous nonnative invasive species in the world.” The average pound fish is one of nature’s clever creations, a venomous foe with spines and an infinite appetite that reproduce quickly. Invasive species are notorious because they have no or almost nonexistent natural predators and they are adapt to their new home very well. The biological adaptations of this fish has caused both ecological and economical mayhem, serious measures have been taken up to control their population as well as to protect our coral reefs.
There are many different endemic species on the island of Puerto Rico. There are many different species of frogs, birds, snake, and even some mammals. The reason for this is a process called endemism. Endemism is the ecological state of a species being unique to a certain part of the Earth, such as an island. An endemic species is different from an indigenous because endemic species can’t be found anywhere else. Since an island is so isolated from the mainland, endemic species can grow and evolve more than their mainland family members, due to the fact that there are less predators.
Kurt Vonnegut's Galapagos was written one million years ahead of the year 1986 AD. In this book, Vonnegut argues that the ultimate effect of humanity's sociological problems with technology is that man's intelligence will be the downfall and destruction of the human race. The essential point made by Vonnegut in this work is that the "great big brains" of humanity drives people to go further into technology and create new weapons that will lead to the demolition of man kind; Vonnegut disagreed against virtually every technological development (made by “big brains”).
In his essay, “My Island Life,” Luke Harmon discusses the importance of islands and how they have been used by evolutionary biologists to study evolution and diversification on Earth. Harmon focuses on biogeography and on how different species are distributed across the Earth. Harmon also makes a point to mention how human introduction of invasive species is rapidly causing islands around the Earth to become uniform and less diversified. Harmon’s research on the evolutionary history of lizards found on two separate regions of Islands begins with the influence of Wallace’s line, discovered by Alfred Russel Wallace. This line is described as invisible boundaries that separate Earth into provinces, and these provinces contain distinct species. Wallace noticed that the physical influences and conditions did not change across the line, but the species inhabiting it did. With Wallace’s discoveries in mind, Harmon hypothesizes that by studying the diversification and evolutionary history of two different lizard species, anoles and day geckos, will show how evolution can be predictable.
Puerto Rico has many diffrent clothes,foods, houses and languges as we do. Once you have finished reading this report on Puerto Rico, you will find out how much diffrent and unigue things they have.
The marine life that is found at Dry Tortugas is like no other National Park in the United
The Galapagos Islands are located in the Pacific Ocean with a chain that stretches as far as 220 kilometers from the most northern to the most southern island. This archipelago of volcanic islands is positioned in a way where some islands are found north of the Equator and others are found south of the Equator. There is even one island, Volcan Wolf, which is positioned directly on the equatorial line. The Galapagos has absolutely no indigenous population, and those 25,000 citizens that do live there now speak primarily Spanish. There are a total of 18 main islands, 3 small islands, and 107 islets (very small islands).
The biodiversity of this particular biome is vast and rapidly growing. One of the main reasons that there are so many species and animals living within this biome is due to the constant warm weather. It also supplies an almost 100% chance of water and food for the animals within. Small animals, including monkeys, birds, snakes, rodents, frogs and lizards are most common in tropical rainforests. Most of these animals and some insects rema...
Diversity is a concept that I believe most people do not have the correct knowledge of nor do they understand what it truly means. Being able to help educate others about diversity would mean the world to me, therefore it’s important for me to understand diversity. In order to understand diversity it’s especially crucial to have an open mind so that one can truly understand. I have traveled to Ecuador, worked with Me to We, taken diversity focused classes, participated in the 2015 Global Youth Summit, as well as created an awareness presentation with fellow students to further my understanding and knowledge of diversity.
Darwin’s observations from the islands made him want to come up with some explanation to why this occurred. He began to do research of each the species that had lived on these islands and observe all of the characteristics that had. He noticed that the islands h...
Darwin was particularly intrigued by the finches on the islands of Galapagos which are located approximately 500 miles from the mainland of South America. These finches, although unique to these islands, were clearly related to mainland species. There were 14 different species or genera of Galapagos Finch and their bills were adapted for particular diets. Darwin amassed these and other data including observations on variability in domestic animals (for example, dogs) which had been brought about by generations of selective breeding.
Sea lions may look like sea creatures, but they also behave like terrestrial animals. Unlike whales, mammals that spend their entire lives in water, sea lions inhabit both the water and land throughout their lives. This aquatic land animal prefers the water for food, fun, and safety; while preferring the land for socializing, territory, and procreation. Being mammals, they share many behaviors common to humans and other mammals. Like mammals, they are born with the ability to walk on land shortly after birth. Surprisingly, they are not born with the ability to swim from birth, but need to be taught by their mothers. Like other mammals, they love to stay in social groups. During their reproductive season, females are dominated by aggressive males, that establish harems on the beaches. The relationship between females and their pups is characterized by affection, protection, nourishment, and instruction. In contrast to their limited terrestrial mobility, they can swim much better than they can walk. Unlike other land mammals, they have the ability to sleep in water . The most interesting thing is that they can sleep in water by using one part of their brain, while the other part of their brain is asleep ("Birds sleep with one eye open, half awake, study finds"). Clearly, sea lions have adapted well to a both an aquatic and land life.
Now, Darwin was not the first to land on this group of islands, but rather was the first to document an extensive analysis on everything from animals, plants, habitat, and climate. The majesty held by the landscape described by Darwin is unparalleled by no other known to human kind, even today.“Imps of Darkness” that emerge from the depths of the sea, giant tortoises whose size are incomparable to any European tortoise and specimen of finches indigenous to its own respective island are examples of Charles Darwin’s analysis upon his first encounter with the archipelago, Galápagos. Countless years have passed since those fateful days Darwin resided in the Galápagos, but was Darwin accurate in his depiction? How much has changed since then? What new discoveries have been made upon Darwin's analytical visit?
Our iguana finds its home on uninhabited beach forests on certain Fiji Islands, where the island has zero to a only few people in the population density. Yet, since the reptile is considered critically endangered, most of the remaining estimated 12,000 are on Yadua Taba, with less than 1,000 still finding homage on their native lands. Of the fourteen islands in Fiji the iguana was native to, they only exist now on three of them. (Reptile