Transcript 3. What is unusual about the Galápagos Islands?

Galapagos & Charles Darwin
The Galápagos form an archipelago of 14 major islands and many
smaller islands. Created by volcanic activity on the ocean floor. For
hundreds of years the islands remained uninhabited—except for pirates
and whalers who used them as hideouts. In 1832, Ecuador claimed the
islands and in 1959 declared them a national park.
Perhaps our first association with the word "Galapagos" is the name
"Darwin." Darwin's visit to the Galapagos Islands had a resounding
impact on the formation of his Theory of Natural Selection.
A rather unmotivated and failing medical scholar, Charles Darwin
accompanied Captain Robert Fitzroy as a travel companion and
naturalist on the HMS Beagle. His book the Voyage of the Beagle is an
account of his worldwide journey.
When setting off from England in 1831 for a five-year voyage, Darwin
had little ambitions for groundbreaking scientific research. After
surveying the coasts of South America, the ship stopped over in the
Galapagos Islands.
During his visit to the islands, Darwin noted
that the unique creatures were similar from
island to island, but perfectly adapted to their
environments which led him to ponder the
origin of the islands' inhabitants.
Among those that struck Darwin so greatly
were the finches that are now named in his
honor. Darwin would later base some of his
thought from the supposing that these finches
were all descendent of the same lineage.
Years later in 1859, Darwin finally
consolidated all of his observations into his
famous book On The Origin of Species,
drastically and controversially altering the
scientific view on the biological origins of life.
1. Which country are the Galápagos Islands part
of?
1) 600 miles east of Peru
2) In the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Brazil
3) In the Pacific Ocean off South America
4) Within sight of Panama
2. Where are the Galápagos Islands?
1) Ecuador
2) Panama
3) Peru
4) United States
3. What is unusual about the Galápagos Islands?
1) It is a group of islands formed from underwater volcanoes.
2) Its penguins are the largest in the world.
3) Many animals there are found nowhere else in the world.
4) No reptiles or insects live on the islands.
4. Which animal of the Galápagos is Charles Darwin associated
with?
1) Bat
2) Finch
3) Lizard
4) Tortoise
5. What theory developed from Darwin's research of animals on the
Galápagos?
1) Evolution by natural selection
2) Sea transportation of animals
3) Which animals Fray Tomás de Berlanda brought to the Galápagos
4) Why Abraham Ortelius named the islands after the giant tortoises.