Wednesday, July 8, 2009

#71 - Galapagos Islands


Pauline sent me yet another card from her trip to South America, this one from the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador.

The islands are famous for being the inspiration of Charles Darwin's "Theory of Evolution". Darwin had travelled to the region as young gradate upon The Beagle; a large ship with orders to to perform hydrological surveys (depth of coastal water, shoreline, etc). Of course, they came to these islands and I guess the light bulb went off for Darwin.

This island chain is home to 100's of different species of mollusks, birds, reptiles and amphibians, making it one of the most important and significant places in the world for biological research.

Unfortunately illegal hunting and fishing in recent years have decreased wildlife populations, putting some species on the endangered list. When will we learn?

2 comments:

  1. It's a wonderful postcard!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great! I've read Darwin's Voyage of The Beagle'.Haven't you? By the way, I've selected a post card for you.I'll Send it Soon.

    ReplyDelete