· The Galapagos Islands are home to one of the most unique ecosystems in the world. Of the 9,000 species here, over 80% of its land birds and 97% of its reptiles and land mammals are found nowhere else on earth.
· The marine iguana, flightless cormorant, and the world’s only nocturnal gull are just some examples of the unusual creatures found only in the Galapagos.
· The Galapagos are situated on an active volcanic area that is called the ‘Galapagos Hotspot’ that regularly produces new islands. This geological feature and the islands’ deep isolation in the Pacific were key in the evolution of its unique animals and plants.
· The islands that make up the Galapagos Archipelago have very different ages. The westernmost of the archipelago is the youngest, at approx. 700,000 years, while the easternmost is the oldest, at approx. 4 million years.
· The land animals found on the Galapagos are descendants of those that were once swept there from the mainland of South America. Some are thought to have drifted on pieces of wood and branches, while others floated over.
