Going to the Galapagos
Steve Walsh, professor of geography, conducts research in the Galapagos Islands (see “Defending the Galapagos,” Endeavors, winter 2007). His work led to a collaboration of scientists from UNC-Chapel Hill and from the University of San Francisco Quito (USFQ), a private university in Ecuador. In February 2008 a team from Carolina traveled to the Galapagos to learn how new research could help preserve the islands’ ecosystems, which are under pressure from tourism and development.
Above: A sea lion pup seems right at home with young marine iguanas on a beach near Isabela Island. Photo by Holden Thorp; ©2008 Endeavors.
Above: A giant tortoise, probably over 100 years old, at the Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz Island. A Galapagos giant tortoise can measure up to five and a half feet across and weigh up to 650 pounds. Tortoises have different carapaces that probably evolved as adaptations to the environments on each island. Saddle-back types are raised at the front to allow the tortoises’ long necks to reach for higher vegetation on drier islands. Dome-shaped tortoises, such as the one in this photo, live on moist islands with lower vegetation. The dome shape probably helps them push through dense growth. Photo by Neil Caudle; ©2008 Endeavors.
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