The Galapagos Islands
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The Galapagos Islands are truly a magical place where species of plants and animals exist that are found nowhere else on the planet. Such species are called endemic, because they have adapted over time, changing to suit the environment they live in and becoming new species. Other plants and animals are native to the Galapagos. They found their own way there, but also live in other habitats. Still others have been introduced, such as goats and cats. Many of these plants and animals have wrought havoc among the endemic types of life. Following are slide shows from the various islands that we visited. Each island has similarities to the others, for example all are formed from lava. But differences exist, too. For example, there is a range of ages in the islands, so lava is fresh on some and eroded on others. Another difference is that land tortoises living on different islands have developed differently shaped shells because of their isloation. Animals that can travel from one island to the next easily, however, are mostly the same, due to their mobility.
Please select the islands you wish to visit from the list below.