Galapagos Islands

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Giant Tortoise Presumed Extinct for a Century Is Very Much Alive

Fernanda is first fantastic giant tortoise seen in Galapagos since 1906, and only the 2nd ever

(Newser) - A Galapagos giant tortoise species observed only once more than a century ago on a remote volcanic island and thought to have gone extinct as a result of volcanic eruptions has turned up very much alive. A female "fantastic giant tortoise," which the Guardian reports is "significantly...

New Giant Tortoise Species Discovered in Galapagos
Giant Tortoise Species
Is 'New to Science'
NEW STUDY

Giant Tortoise Species Is 'New to Science'

It was mistakenly believed to be a now-extinct Galapagos species, researchers say

(Newser) - Researchers believe they have discovered a new species of giant tortoise in the Galapagos Islands, which is news they'd be happier about if it didn't also mean that another species has apparently gone extinct. Scientists who analyzed genetic material from museum samples discovered that samples brought back from...

Iconic Darwin's Arch No Longer an Arch

Galapagos Islands icon collapses

(Newser) - The famed Darwin's Arch in the Galapagos Islands has lost its top, and officials are blaming natural erosion of the stone. Ecuador's Environment Ministry reported the collapse on its Facebook page on Monday, the AP reports. (See a picture of what it looks like now, without the top...

DiCaprio Unveils Ambitious Plan for Galapagos

Actor and conservation groups pledge $43M to 'rewild' the islands

(Newser) - Leonardo DiCaprio and a team of conservationists are putting up a lot of dough "to save one of the most irreplaceable places on the planet." The actor on Tuesday announced a $43 million pledge to "rewild" the Galapagos Islands, including by restoring habitats and reintroducing locally extinct...

Chinese Fleet Raises Alarms at the Galapagos

260 fishing vessels are just outside the international boundary

(Newser) - Some call it a floating city, a flotilla of 260 mostly Chinese fishing vessels near the Galapagos archipelago that is stirring diplomatic tension and raising worries about the threat to sharks, manta rays, and other vulnerable species in waters around the UNESCO world heritage site, per the AP . Yet the...

They Saved Their Species. Their Reward: Homecoming

Sex-crazed Diego among 15 giant tortoises returned to native island

(Newser) - Mission accomplished for a group of 15 male giant tortoises credited with saving their species from extinction. The tortoises—part of a breeding program that began in the 1960s when there were just two males and 12 females left in the wild, per CNN —were returned to their home...

After Siring Hundreds, Dirty Old Man Goes Home

Farewell, Diego, lots and lots of female tortoises knew ye

(Newser) - He has what the BBC calls a "species-saving sex drive," and after having fathered up to 800 offspring in the pursuit of bringing his species back from the brink, Diego the Galapagos tortoise is headed back home to the island of Española. There, he'll join a...

'Illegal and Dangerous': Oil Spill in the Galapagos

Crane falls on vessel, causing boat to tip, oil to seep into water off of San Cristobal Island

(Newser) - CNN notes that environmentalists are likely to be fuming after an accident in the Galapagos Islands over the weekend that dumped 600 gallons of oil into the water. The spill happened early Sunday as a crane was lowering a container onto a cargo vessel on San Cristobal Island, lost...

Tortoise Not Seen in 110 Years Found on Galapagos Island

'There may be hope' for critically endangered species

(Newser) - A living member of a species of tortoise not seen in more than 110 years and feared to be extinct has been found in a remote part of the Galapagos island of Fernandina, the AP reports. An adult female Chelonoidis phantasticus, also known as the Fernandina Giant Tortoise, was spotted...

5 Places You Shouldn't Visit in 2018

Maybe hold off on that Taj Mahal trip till 2019

(Newser) - At the beginning of each calendar year, travel companies and publications often push out lists of places around the world you should try to explore in the coming months. Fodor's takes a different tack with its "No List," detailing the locations it thinks you should avoid in...

A Stranger Arrives. Just 2 Generations Later: A New Species

'Evolution in general can happen very quickly'

(Newser) - After four decades of work, researchers published the origin of Big Bird (not that one ) in Science this week—and it's scientifically unprecedented. The BBC reports that for the first time ever, researchers were able to watch the rise of a new species play out in nature. "...

Found in Galapagos Reserve: Boat Carrying 6K Dead Sharks

20 Chinese crew members face jail time, fines

(Newser) - Crew members aboard a Chinese-flagged ship in the Galapagos Islands have been handed almost $6 million in fines plus jail time after what Quartz calls "likely one of the biggest seizures of illegal sharks in recent years." Investigators boarded the Fu Yuan Yu Leng 999 in the Galapagos...

Galapagos Tortoise's Savior Is a Dirty, Dirty Old Man
The Savior of the
Galapagos Tortoise
 Is a Dirty, Dirty Old Man
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

The Savior of the Galapagos Tortoise Is a Dirty, Dirty Old Man

Meet Diego, the centenarian father of, like, 800

(Newser) - The most tireless and passionate proponent of saving the Galapagos tortoise from extinction is ancient, lecherous, and not particularly attractive, but those attributes are apparently a big hit with the ladies. Gentle reader, meet Diego, the lusty 100-plus-year-old tortoise who has helped bring his kind back from the brink of...

Charles Darwin's Finches Could Soon Be Extinct

'This is like a really bad horror flick'

(Newser) - Charles Darwin's finches of the Galapagos Islands—renowned as a poster child for speciation (that's "the process by which new species arise," explains Smithsonian )—may not be able to evolve fast enough to stave off extinction, according to a study published last week in the...

Galapagos Volcano Erupts, Threatens Rare Iguanas

Officials hope unique pink iguanas 'will not be affected'

(Newser) - Wolf Volcano on the Galapagos Islands rumbled to life yesterday for the first time in 33 years, sending smoke billowing into the air and lava spewing down onto Isabela Island. As the nearest inhabitants live about 70 miles away from the volcano, there is no risk to humans, reports AFP...

In Galapagos Islands, a 180-Day State of Emergency

Freighter has run aground in Shipwreck Bay

(Newser) - Those darn freighters : Ecuador has again declared a state of emergency in the protected Galapagos Islands after a cargo ship carrying 13,000 gallons of fuel ran aground last week. No fuel was spilled, and about 85% of it has since been removed. "There is no kind of environmental...

Giant Galapagos Tortoises Back From 'Brink of Extinction'

'Miraculous' recovery for population that was down to 15 in 1960s

(Newser) - A welcome piece of news for an endangered species: Giant tortoises' population on the Galapagos island of Española is now "very secure," researchers say. "The global population was down to just 15 tortoises by the 1960s. Now there are some 1,000 tortoises breeding on their...

Galapagos Threat 'Could Unleash a Disaster'

Ecuador declares emergency over stranded freighter

(Newser) - A new threat to the Galapagos Islands "could unleash a disaster," say officials: a cargo ship. At Galapagos officials' urging, Ecuador (which owns the islands) yesterday declared an environmental emergency there after a ship ran aground last Friday. The 19,000 gallons of cargo fuel the Galapaface 1...

How Cotton Balls Helped Save Darwin's Finches

The birds used the treated cotton balls in their nests

(Newser) - Serious problem, simple fix. Researchers on the Galapagos Islands have helped Darwin's finches protect their nests from a dangerous new parasite, reports Scientific American . The simple fix: Scientists left cotton balls laced with a mild pesticide for the birds to take, and the finches happily wove them into their...

Couple Unveils True-Crime Mystery in Galapagos Affair

Filmmakers investigate murder story on famous islands

(Newser) - A pair of married San Francisco filmmakers stumbled on an unexpected mystery at the Galapagos Islands—and it had nothing to do with Darwin, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Dayna Goldfine and Dan Geller were visiting for a film project when they read about a German philosopher and his mistress...

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