We wanted a book that includes up-to-date information about
evolution in Galapagos, yet is accessible by professional
biologists, laypeople, students, armchair travelers, and the merely
curious. Naming the endemic-and often curious-organisms in
Galapagos from checklists can be rewarding; that's why you will
find checklists of the islands' iconic species in this book
(Chapter 12). But understanding what you see is a different
adventure, and that is one thing that we hope distinguishes this
book from others. In short, we wanted to write a book that would
help you not lust identify what you see, but understand what you
see. Such an understanding goes beyond identification guides and
traditional natural history and requires a context that includes
the islands' biology, geology, climate, and history.
In this book, you will find discussions (and checklists) of the
native and endemic organisms you'll see, especially the iconic ones
such as penguins, land and marine iguanas, finches, giant
tortoises, and albatrosses (see color images). However, we have not
described all of the organisms on the islands-after all, there are
more than 600 species of lichens and 2,9OO species of marine
organisms, not to mention the more than 50 families, 300 genera,
and 370 species of endemic and native beetles. Similarly, we
discuss many, but not all, of the most troublesome introduced
species (at last count, there were more than 1,400 such species).
We have focused on the native and endemic "stars" of Galapagos that
fill tourists' must-see lists.
Although our book emphasizes evolution, we have also addressed
several other topics, for evolution cannot be understood without a
corresponding understanding of its context: namely, the geology,
climate, and historical impact of humans on the ecosystem. This is
why you will find discussions of the islands' geology, weather,
trails, and Visitor Sites in this book.
We also wrote this book to emphasize the importance of
preserving Galapagos, as well as to help readers understand the
challenges facing the islands.
To ensure accuracy and consistency, the information in this
book was derived from visiting the islands more than 30 times over
many years; talking with numerous Galapagos National Park Service
guides, boat captains, boat crews, school teachers and other
residents of Galapagos, and former prisoners at the Wall of Tears
penal colony; documenting the GPS coordinates of more than 350
sites, usually with two independent GNPS units (Appendix 1);
studying documents at a variety of libraries, research stations,
and related locations such as GNPS, Charles Darwin Research
Station, National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, and Instituto
Oceanografico de la Armada; being on the bridge with boat captains
in the most challenging conditions and regions of the islands
(Appendix 2); and, when necessary, hiking, scuba diving, and
interviewing local residents to resolve controversies (e.g., the
exact location of Jessica; see Chapter 11).
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