1/6/2020 Today we woke up around 6 to get on the 2-hour speedboat ride from Puerto Villamil to Puerto Ayora. We dropped our stuff off pack at Hotel Ninfa and then began our walk to the Charles Darwin Research Station. After about a 30-minute walk, we arrived there. When we got inside, we all got our passports stamped and looked around while waiting for our tour with Jonathan. Our first stop was to visit the taxidermized Lonesome George, the last Pinta Tortoise on Pinta, who showed no interest in mating with females to help the population rebound. A saddleback tortoise from the San Diego Zoo, rightfully named Diego, was brought to help encourage George and demonstrate how to mate with females. After seeing Diego mate with females from Espanola, George tried to do so but he could not produce viable offspring. He was over 90 when he started to attempt to mate and he died around 120. Therefore, the Pinta population of tortoises died out. Diego, however, was and still is very active and has produced over 800 babies which are helping to repopulate Espanola. We stepped outside and were able to actually see Diego, and recently we learned that he was released from the breeding program and sent back to his native island, Espanola! Jonathan then discussed some threats that tortoises face including black rats, which were introduced by cargo ships and have very fast reproduction. These rats, along with cattle, boar and other dogs pose threats to tortoises’ eggs. Jonathan also pointed out the difference between marine iguanas and land iguanas, the latter having cylindrical tails while the former have flat tails used for swimming. Dogs are a major threat to land and marine iguanas.
A male tortoise
After the tour, some of us stopped at the gift shop and sent virtual post cards to our friends and family. We then made our way back to the hotel, stopping at some shops along the way in town. We stopped at a chocolate shop, Chocolapagos, where a few of use bought chocolate and talked with the shop owner about his business. He told us he was opening a popsicle shop soon and gave us free samples of the watermelon flavor, yum! After buying some souvenirs and chocolate, we all met at a restaurant for lunch. Back at the hotel, with several people not feeling well and having medical issues, we decided to skip the hike to Tortuga Bay and just catch up on some must need rest and relaxation. After we had dinner, we were given a presentation about invasive species in the Galapagos Islands. Sebastian Torres, who works for the CDF, talked to us about the diversity of life on the islands and how invasive species threaten them. The age of the islands shows a pattern as the oldest are found in the east and respective ages decrease moving west. This is because of the location of the hotspot to the west and the tectonic plates moving 7 inches every year to the southwest. Several currents influence weather in the Galapagos including the warm Panama current from the north. The cold South equatorial current from the west meets with the cold Humboldt current that runs along the west coast of South America northward. These colder currents, especially the Humboldt, carry many nutrients which allows for the occurrence of diverse and unique life, especially in the marine environment. He explained about the beginnings of colonization on the island. Lichens began growing on rocks as the primary colonizers. Wind and vegetation rafts allowed for birds and other species to reach the islands and began the formation of the biodiverse region we see today. Introduced and invasive species are human introduced whereas native and endemic are natural. On the islands, 80% of land birds, 97% of reptiles, 30% of plants, and 20% of marine life is endemic. A recent study in 2017 found that there are 1579 invasive species on the islands of around 7000 species; 52% arrived accidentally as contaminants or stowaways, 46% arrived intentionally, and 2% are unknown. The parasitic fly affects land birds as they lay larvae on birds nests and the larva enters birds from nostrils and feeds on them, eventually killing them. Blackberry and guava in highlands is a dire issue as they devastate scalesia forests by outcompeting native vegetation. Feral hogs can crush and eat tortoise eggs. Black rats, as discussed previously, were introduced hundreds of years ago and impact many species. They are harmful to the Galapagos petrel as this bird mates and nests in the highlands on the ground making them susceptible to rats. Rat traps (PVC tubes with poison) and poison have been used which has allowed the petrels to survive. These traps don’t affect other mammals because there are no others in the area like them that would be susceptible, which eliminates bycatch. This rat trapping occurred on Pinzon and will be implemented in the future on Isabela. Cats prey on lizards, finches, and sea turtles. Eradicating cats requires a lot of resources making it infeasible. Island conservation wants to eliminate cats on Floreana and will attempt to next month, however they will likely need to quarantine the animals to do so. Project Isabela exterminated 120,000 goats that were consuming the vegetation that tortoises feed on and degrading the land. Issues exist when attempting to combat these invasive species. People are not aware of the problems surrounding the introduction of species and may just be looking to seek profit or help produce a product at the expense of the health of the islands. Each person is allowed four sterilized pets, however people do not respect the law and there aren't enough resources for the surveillance and maintenance of this. Additionally, locals reacted rather violently to the possible euthanizing of feral dogs. This highlights a lack of education and concern, as well as resources. Curriculum in schools needs to focus on the particular needs of the Galapagos apart from mainland Ecuador’s needs. However, there needs to be a focus on enforcement over education as many people simply do not care and are indifferent to the issues they may be contributing to and anything that remotely burdens people is naturally avoided Customs may not have the proper technology to detect invasive species, however they are working to improve the process. The large influx of tourists from air and sea makes this a very difficult process. ABG, GNP directorate, CDF, island conservation, and FEIG are working on the control of invasive and introduced species. Special carpets are being used at airports and piers to reduce risk of contamination. .