Ecuador & Galapagos Blog – The perfect travel guide

Galapagos Tortoises – (Geochelone nigrita) Yep, it’s true, the world’s largest tortoise title belongs to the Galapagos Tortoise. They can weigh more that 200kg, and male Galapagos Tortoise are actually larger than females. Their shell is adorned with blackish shields and they can measure up to 1.3 meters long and live past 150 years. The tail is short and thick and the feet resemble to elephants’, with long nails and short fingers. They possess a distinctive long neck, the eyes are located on each side of the head and, did you know they have no ears? The male´s shell is designed with a depression in the belly, allowing it to engage with the female during copulation. More information Galapagos Tortoise Galapagos Tortoise live in arid and dry areas way up in the highlands of the Galapagos Islands (1.700 masl.) and have the ability to survive without water or food during months. It is for this reason that in the past the crew from whale and pirate ships hunted and took them aboard to serve as food during their journeys. Galapagos Tortoises take advantage of the early morning sunlight to increase corporal heat. Their movements are quite slow and they move mostly  in orderto search for herbs, they are herbivores. Their long neck plays and important part here, it allows them to reach for leafs and fruits found in higher branches. During nights, they rest among vegetation or in mud pools to keep body heat. Even though they are earth habitants, they are often found in in water pools hydrating and refreshing. Their main source of nourishment is tuna plant, which contains plenty of water, supplemented by herbs and grass. mating season During mating season, they move towards the lower lands of the islands to nest. Females will dig a hole in the sand where about

The History of Humans Exploring the Galapagos Islands. Located about 600 miles from the coastline of Ecuador, situated on the western coast of South America, the Galápagos Islands have been known to be a mysterious group of islands in the world. The diverse varieties of Flora and Fauna that are found here, are found nowhere else in the world. These are the things that make the islands the rarest place in the world. Have you ever tried to find out how were these remotely located islands discovered first? How had the entire human race ever realized that these islands possessed the most amazing natural beauty? The discovery of the islands is dated way back in the 10th century. Exploring the Galapagos Islands. This is the time when the Incan Culture first explore these islands. But, since there is no documentation regarding the expedition, there is no proof that states that the Incan Culture people were the first ones to be here. In the year 1535, on the 10th day of March, Fray Tomas de Berlanga landed on one of these islands. He is said to have landed accidentally while he was traveling from Panama to Peru. It was only in 1570 that a Abraham Ortelius, a map maker, first marked the Galápagos Islands on the map. He named the islands as “Isolas de Galápagos”, meaning the “Island of Tortoises”, as described by the sailors who passed through the islands. It was then that the Galápagos Islands were known to have existed and got a name based on the giant Galapagos Tortoises found here. It was only in the 17th Century that British invaders started using these islands as a hideout. British buccaneers who pirated the Spanish ships moving from the coast of South America made use of these islands as

The Galapagos Islands near Ecuador have been known for their wonderful ecosystem with the varied varieties of flora and fauna found here. There are a number of endemic species of animals that are found nowhere else in the world. A source of inspiration to the famous scientist Charles Darwin is a home to the rarest form of marine iguanas, Galapagos Penguins, Darwin’s Finches and the most famous Galapagos Tortoise. It is with the presence of these rare species and the beautiful surrounding nature that forces people to take up a trip to this beautiful group of islands. The famous Galapagos tortoises found here are huge and can weigh up to about 400kg. The length of these huge creatures on an average is about 1.8 meters. This weight and length make them one among the 13th heaviest reptiles. The tortoises are said to live for about 100 years each. This makes them the longest lived vertebrate on earth. The Galapagos Tortoises are spread across some 7 islands of the archipelago. They have been living here for years and were first discovered centuries ago. But, the largest among them, all were the Pinta tortoises that were found on the Pinta Island. With the change in the environment and the introduction of new species in this area, the tortoises were later found to be extinct. It was early in 1900’s that the Pinta tortoises were thought to be extinct. But, in the year 1971, a Hungarian scientist came across the only living tortoise that belonged to this species. He was called Lonesome George. The discovery of Lonesome George ignited new hope among scientists. They tried everything possible to bring back the species that were extinct. George was later moved into the Charles Darwin Research Center on the Santa Cruz Islands. It was here that the scientists