Home > Galápagos > Galápagos News

WHAT'S NEW IN Galápagos

Highlights and news, from the Islands

September 2008

Lonesome George's Eggs are Fertile!

Two clutches of eggs laid by his companion females

Scientists in Galápagos who have been anxiously incubating the eggs of the world's only surviving Pinta Tortoise have discovered that 14 of Lonesome George's companion's eggs are fertile. Naturalists were initially skeptical when rangers from the Galápagos National Park on Santa Cruz Island found a clutch of eggs in the enclosure Lonesome George shares with two Espanola Tortoise females. Tortoises, like chickens, often lay eggs without any male input. And now the rangers, who have taken care of the world's loneliest bachelor at the Charles Darwin Research Station since he was moved from Pinta Island in 1972, have found another three eggs in a nest in his enclosure. These three, all of perfect size and weight were immediately transferred to incubators —two being coddled at a temperature of 85º F to hatch females and one at 82.5º F to ensure a male. If you join our December 4th, 2008 (or later) Galápagos departure, you'll be there soon after this historic hatching. Make your plans now! Each of our Galápagos adventures includes an in-depth tour of the Charles Darwin Station and its hatching programs, so provided all goes well, you may get a peek at this historic result. Call us to arrange your once-in-a-lifetime adventure in Galápagos! 510-420-1550 info@inca1.com Support Preserving the Galápagos If you cannot plan a trip for this season, you can still contribute to the ongoing scientific research, education, conservation and protection programs supported by the Charles Darwin Foundation. Visit their website today to learn more.

Lonesome George in his corral with one of his female companions at the Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz Island. Photo by INCA guest K. Jung. Perhaps when you visit, the "mini Georges" will be running around the hatching pens, like this little one. Photo by INCA guest S. Marks.

> top

A hammerhead shark tagged in the Galápagos Islands has been tracked to Cocos Island in Costa Rica and the Malpelo Islands in Colombia.

The Galápagos National Park and the Charles Darwin Foundation, in conjunction with other organizations such as Conservation International (CI) and the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF), and with the technical assistance of a group of researchers from the University of California at Davis, have implemented a project to mark sharks in the Galápagos Marine Reserve. The goal is to establish migration patterns of these species, both within the Galápagos islands and between other "hot spots" in the region.

Over the past two years, more than 100 ultrasonic and satellite tags have been placed on hammerhead sharks in the Galápagos. Receivers have been installed on the islands Darwin, Wolf and other islands in the archipelago and other islands the region.

Through this project, sites of greatest aggregation of sharks have been identified, and the information necessary to improve the management and conservation of the sharks has greatly increased.

One of the most important results was that the evidence was found that a hammerhead shark tagged in the Galápagos migrated to the Cocos Islands, Costa Rica and Malpelo, in Colombia. This confirms the existence of a biological corridor between the islands and demonstrates that sharks have preferences for certain sites or "hot spots".

"It is necessary to continue this research to identify what attracts the sharks to follow certain routes and stay in some "hot spots," and with this information apply management measures to adequately conserve these species which are vital to the health of marine ecosystems "said Eduardo Espinoza of the Department of Marine Research of the Galápagos National Park.

The project will continue with the installation of new monitors on Seymour, Champion, Santa Fe, Fernandina, Canal Bolivar, and Isle de la Plata (Manabi). Along with the shark census, monitoring of several oceanographic parameters will take place to better understand the hammerhead migration patterns.

For more information, please visit the MigraMar website. MigraMar is a netwrok of marine research and conservation institutions working together to understand the dynamics of sharks and other pelagic species in the Eastern tropical Pacific.

http://www.migramar.com/

Hammerhead sharks schooling in the Galápagos Islands.

The hammerhead "hot spot" triangle between the Galápagos, Cocos and Malpelo Islands.

A hammerhead in Galápagos.

Tagging a hammerhead for the research study.

Research vessel with Sierra Negra in the background.

All images from MigraMar.

> top

Marcela Aguinaga, Minister of Environment, signed a land swap between the Municipal Government of Santa Cruz and the Galápagos National Park, with the assistance of hundreds of citizens who will benefit from this exchange.

The Municipal Government of Santa Cruz, led by its mayor Leopoldo Bucheli Mora, has been working with the Galápagos National Park to arrange a swap of 100 acres of a farmland, located in Santa Rosa, in the Santa Cruz highlands, for 70 hectares of land located in the National Park area, near the urban area of Puerto Ayora.

The report indicated that the land in the highlands has a high ecological value, whereas the land in Puerto Ayora is where the stone was extracted for the construction of the road to the Canal Itabaca and has much lower ecological wealth.

After a process, which involved legal feasibility reports and detailed ecological inventories of the land to be exchanged, the Galápagos National Park forwarded the information to the Ministry of Environment for its review.

The Minister of Environment, Marcela Aguinaga signed the document that will allow the exchange, which will create space for housing for more than eight hundred permanent residents.

"Santa Cruz is the island which has fewest acres of urban area but has 60% of the population of the archipelago. With this good attitude on the part of the Ministry of Environment and the Galápagos National Park, we realize that there is openness to maintain the balance between the Galápagos ecosystems and population centers," said Mayor Bucheli Mora. He also said that housing projects in the exchanged land will be built with environmental parameters.

Ecuadorian Minister of Environment, Marcela Aguniaga, signing the Santa Cruz land swap agreement.

The highlands of Santa Cruz are home to many endemic species, including the Galápagos tortoise.

The town of Puerto Ayora, with a diversity of human activities.

> top