The Galapagos Island & ecology: Scientists believe that shortly after the birth of the Galapagos Islands, the tortoises drifted from the mainland with the ocean current, their shells keeping them afloat.
Around three to five million years ago volcanic eruptions in the Pacific Ocean gave birth to an new archipelago 650 miles from mainland Ecuador. This group of islands had flat shorelines and mountainous interiors, but despite its equatorial location, the habitat of several of the islands was desert-like. Thirteen major islands, eight smaller ones, and around forty islets now comprise the entire archipelago known officially as Archipelago de Colon. Most know the archipelago by its popular name - the Galapagos Islands.
Archipelagos around the world are known for their unique wildlife, and the Galapagos Islands are synonymous with giant tortoises. Many years ago tortoises roamed freely on every continent except Australia and scientists believe that shortly after the birth of the Galapagos Islands, the tortoises drifted from the mainland with the ocean current, their shells keeping them afloat. The quiet island life suited the tortoises well. With abundant food and no predators, the tortoises grew to immense sizes, many weighing in at over 500 pounds.
The good life didn't last long for these "Goliaths of the Galapagos". In 1535, the Bishop of Panama - Tomas de Berlanga - was traveling from Panama to Peru when an unexpected storm blew his ship off course. Luckily for the Bishop their ship bumped into the unknown Galapagos Islands just before the entire crew died of starvation and thirst. Unfortunately for the tortoises, the Panamanian visitors marked the end to their predator free sanctuary. Although the Bishop of Panama found little of use in the islands, which were lacking fresh water, the islands were not forgotten and officially became part of the world map by 1570. Map makers baptized the archipelago as the "Insulae de los Galopagos" or "The Islands of the Tortoises".
The Bishop of Panama and his crew finally left the islands leaving the tortoises in relative peace, but their exit was merely the calm before the storm. By the 17th century, the Galapagos Islands became the preferred rendezvous point and pit stop for pirates, whalers and sailors plying the open seas. The tortoises provided the sailors with a fresh food source they could maintain over several months in the days before refrigeration. It took eight men to lift the heavy tortoises into awaiting ships, but the reptiles lasted up to fourteen months with little to no food or water. The meat was edible and even Darwin remarked that ""¦the breast-plate roasted, with the flesh on it, is very good"¦." The Galapagos Tortoise Homepage states that an estimated 15,000 tortoises were lifted from the islands by sailors between 1811 and 1814. Georg Baur, an herbtologist researching in the islands around 1880, concluded that nearly 10 million tortoises had been removed by early whaling ships since the 16th century. To further complicate matters, 19th century scientists sent to study the giant reptiles also shipped them in high quantities back to zoos in the United States.
By the late 19th century, the islands no longer played such a critical role as a rendezvous point for sailors, and visitors to her shores tapered off. But the islands were not left uninhabited. Dogs, cats, rats, pigs, goats and burros accompanied the sailors to the islands from their homelands, and ended forever the tortoises' predator-free lifestyle. To this day, goats roam the islands searching for food to satiate their voracious appetites. They are direct competitors with the tortoises for the islands' herbs and grasses. The goats also strip vegetation from tall plants and trees that the tortoises typically use for shade. Rats find a tortoise eggs quite a delicacy and frequently destroy nests. Feral dogs, cats and pigs also prey on tortoise nesting sites, and eat newborn hatchlings. The tortoises continue to be threatened by man, as well. Ecuador annexed the island in 1832 for use as a penal colony. The islands' soil is not well adapted to agriculture and many of the islanders poached the tortoises for food and money.
Although the sailors are long gone, man is still drawn to the Galapagos Islands to view her wildlife. The giant tortoises are a big draw for tourists and provide much needed revenue to the Ecuadorian government. Unfortunately, the islands are not well suited to burgeoning human populations and more tourists mean more hotels, more restaurants, and a further disruption of the ecosystem. Much of the revenue generated by tourism does not find its way back to the Galapagos Islands, and is lost to mainland Ecuador. Serious conflicts have erupted between islanders, conservationists, and the government over the best way to manage the archipelago's future.
But tourism so far is one of the few guarantees that the giant tortoises will continue to live. Poaching has declined from a combination of government control, and tourists who make live tortoises worth more than dead ones. Due to man's exploitation, tortoises are extinct in all but the most remote archipelagos like the Galapagos and the Seychelles, with fourteen subspecies represented in the Galapagos. Ecuador has taken many steps to protect its unique wildlife and attract economy-sustaining tourists. For tourists, Santa Cruz Island is home to most of the archipelago's tortoises. The famous tortoise, Lonesome George, resides at Santa Cruz and is believed to be sole survivor of the Santa Pinta Island sub-species. Hopefully with cooperation from government officials and local islanders, the other thirteen sub-species of Galapagos Island tortoises will continue to flourish.
