Galapagos at the Crossroads by Carol Ann Bassett

Author:Carol Ann Bassett
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: National Geographic Society
Published: 2009-04-08T04:00:00+00:00

Volcán Alcedo is home to the healthiest population of giant tortoises in all the Galápagos. About 5,000 of the reptiles, about one-third of the total number in the islands, live here. These tortoises can weigh more than 500 pounds and live more than 150 years. Mating usually occurs in March or April, when the grunts of copulating males are so distinct that park rangers call this the loudest sound in the Galápagos. Once inseminated, the female ambles off to dig a nest in soft earth, where she can lay up to 20 eggs. Then she covers the clutch with dirt and urinates on it to cement it down. The hatchlings are born about three months later. Like sea turtles, they’re extremely vulnerable; they must find cover before hawks, owls, and feral mammals such as cats, dogs, and rats nab them. Even the adults are prey—for poachers. Throughout the years, scientists have found dozens of slaughtered tortoises on Isabela Island, victims of an influx of fishermen and colonists who recently arrived in the Galápagos. About 70 percent of the human population is new to the islands. Most of these newcomers don’t follow sustainable fishing practices in the protected marine reserve, authorities say, neither are they aware of the biological diversity that surrounds them nor how fragile it is.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.