Islas Galapagos
Darwin
visited the for three weeks in Sept-Oct 1835. He
observed a diverse array of reptiles and birds, which differed
among closely situated islands. Contrary to popular belief,
his collections were rather unsystematic, and he observed but
did not make a detailed analysis of the patterns of
inter-island variation of tortoises and finches until he
returned home. The names in this map are those given by
British explorers: they have been replaced by Spanish names,
and the islands are under the control and stewardship of
Ecuador. [An Ecuadorian biologist, when it was suggested that
the islands be placed under international control because of
his government's supposedly poor management, suggested the
same for the Hawai'ian Island chain, which has lost a
proportionately far great fraction of its endemic species over
the same time].
Text material ©2026 by Steven M. Carr