This is a compilation video taken February 14-16, 2013 on the islands of Isla Isabela and Santa Cruz. The biodiversity and evidence of evolution are everywhere on these islands and it is a place everyone should visit just to understand it all. It is all absolutely fascinating. Taking tours with local guides and biologists is a real eye-opener.
This is where Charles Darwin formed his Theory Of Evolution when he saw how animals and plants and birds had changed their make-up to be able to survive in this inhospitable habitat.
The Galapagos Islands started as volcanoes rising up in the ocean, 500 miles off the coast of Ecuador, so they were just bare, hard rock. Anything that grew here had to arrive by sea, or air, and much of it in mud on birds or in their excrement.
One of the best examples of this evolution are the marine iguanas who were strictly land animals but had to transform their bodies to enable them to swim to get underground plants for food. They also evolved with a flatter tail to enable them to swim better. They also had to learn to get along with each other because they need each other to help maintain their body temperatures when it is cooler.
Because these animals and birds have no natural enemies here, they flourish and are not very afraid of humans.
The ecosystem is very fragile and the Galapagos biologists are working very hard to return the animals and plant life to only the original animals and plants originally found on the island. This is a losing battle because of the human factor. Humans stupidly introduce new plants and shrubs and pets which disrupt the ecosystem terribly and it is a huge problem to eradicate the non-indemic plants, such as the Mora or Blackberry plant which multiplies at an enormous rate and is almost impossible to eliminate.
The climate in February, considered part of the rainy season, is very hot and humid, with temperatures solidly around 85F during the day and 75F at night.
The marine iguanas, crabs, shore birds, giant tortoises and flamingos are just a small fraction of what can be seen here. Some of the others are pelicans, frigate birds, penguins, sea lions, sharks, stingrays, and or course, Darwin's finches.
The sound quality is poor in most of it because of pounding surf or pouring rain or poor footing, so I do apologize. Pardon my confusion on dates and naming of the islands in the videos as my brain was baked in the blazing sun.
We highly recommend a visit to the Galapagoiis, and in particular Isla Isabela for its beauty, its beaches, and its great sampling of everything we wanted to see. If you do visit, please respect their rules so everyone can continue to see these marvels of life.

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