This Place Is Like No Other: Galapagos
March 14, 2007Dr. Mike Heithaus and Dr. Ray Heithaus
We’ve done a lot of traveling in our decades as biologists, but our trip to the Galapagos was one of the most exhilarating! The oceans teem with life from the curious and acrobatic sea lions to the slow and stately sea turtles, bizarre hammerhead sharks, and countless colorful fish. Imagine snorkeling with a penguin without freezing – you can only do that in the Galapagos! It’s also the only place you might run across a lizard – a marine iguana – in your underwater exploration!
The life on land is just as amazing! Nowhere else can you get so close to so many different species – without native predators they are totally unafraid of humans. As you travel among the many islands and diverse habitats – from beautiful rocky landscapes devoid of 
almost all life to lush forests in the clouds – you see similar kinds of plants and animals, but looking closely you will see most of these kinds are different species from one island to the next. Each island exerts its own pressures on the species found there and through natural selection many species have been born in a geological eyeblink! The fantastic birds you see flitting around the islands are finches of many kinds. Some have even figured out how to use tools – poking cactus spines into trees to stab tasty meals. The magnificent giant tortoises that you encounter are all adapted to the conditions on their own island! The diversity of the Galapagos has given rise to some of the best examples of speciation ever studied and helped Darwin to develop his ideas about evolution that form the foundations of modern biological thinking! Having the privilege to walk some of the same paths and see the same animals and plants is a treat for anybody – and especially for fellow biologists.
At the water’s edge some of the most fascinating sites are found – where sea lions and marine iguanas come ashore to bask in the sun. Here you get to see albatross, blue footed boobies and magnificent frigate birds dance and display as they try to impress a mate and then work hard to raise their young. Then, you can marvel as the boobies fly out to sea and plunge into the waters, feathered missiles, as they dive for a meal of fish.
As soon as we got back from the Galapagos, we were already hoping to find a way to go back. You can see so much in one trip, but more unbelievable sites and animals await in the sea and on land. We missed seeing those hammerhead sharks – one of Mike’s favorite animals – and we didn’t get to investigate those intriguing clicking sounds from the swallow-tailed gulls that intrigued Ray.
Luckily, we are getting a chance to go back to the Galapagos, and see an even more intimate side of the lives of the animals than a mere week trip could offer, when we watch National Geographic Channel’s Galapagos! The stunning footage reveals the beauty of the islands and the animals and the intimate camera work takes us inside the lives of the island’s inhabitants in a way that is hard to believe. This Special also introduces us to the importance of the Galapagos in the history of Science and chronicles the ongoing efforts of dedicated people trying to protect these wonderful islands.
Comments (10)
Dear Drs. Heithas:
BRILLIANT, BRILLIANT, BRILLIANT!
Thank you, the sound people, the musicians and everyone involved. It was superb!
I was very saddened at the end to learn that people now live there. Also, too many tourists. Galapagos should be left alone -- it is almost a sacred place and should have been left untouched.
Thank you again for sharing this wonderful place with us.
Posted by Patty Stevens | March 19, 2007 11:10 AM
I loved the shows. I teach Science and I would love to go there but at the same time I wish that no one lived there. I also agree with destroying the wild goats but I wish that the meat was not wasted. I have a problem with that. Does any of the native animals benafit from the leaving the carcus behind?
Posted by Connie | March 19, 2007 1:51 PM
Everything you said is right, these are one of the most spectacular places in the world and undoubtedly one of the most unique. I spent three months there with a study abroad program, so I'd have to disagree about people living there. If they didn't build a university there, I never would have gotten to have this experience! You also have to consider the conservation organizations set up there and the accomodations for tourists who are the main source of income for both these organizations and the island's 30,000 or so inhabitants. It disappointed me that the program didn't go further into these issues. The problem is not the tourists themselves but the economic impact that they have on the islands. The Galapagos currently have one of the fastest-growing economies in the world because of it and as a result, the standard of living there is much higher than in mainland Ecuador. This economic growth inevitably leads to development and immigration, then further demand for resources funded by government subsidies. This cycle is causing the population to grow very quickly there, exherting more and more environmental pressure. But these people shouldn't be seen as much as a problem as a potential solution. They aren't going anywhere, the only way to conserve the Galapagos is to educate and involve them in conservation activity. Right now they don't trust conservation groups because of extreme restrictions on their use of the islands. They need more of a say in policy-making and implementation, and more anthropological study must be done with them to better understand the dynamics of their unique culture. They are also some of the most wonderfully easy-going people in the world. I'd recommend getting to know some of them if you get a chance to visit, and ask them for their opinion on the situation. As for the wild goats, it would be ridiculously expensive to retrieve their carcuses and the bodies are eaten by birds and insects and eventually return much of the nutrients they stripped from the earth. So it's not really a waste. Feel free to email me if you have any more questions about what I learned there, not many people get a chance to spend more than a week or two there.
Posted by Corey Nimmer | March 20, 2007 11:35 AM
i am doing a school project on them and this helped alot
Posted by annie | March 26, 2007 11:41 AM
Please, please, please -- someone please post/email when this series will be rebroadcasted!
Posted by Steve H | April 1, 2007 12:06 AM
I really like the vidoe of the pink birie!! I am in the 1st grade
Posted by chelsea | April 19, 2007 10:04 AM
I love this! I am researching areas for a book that i'll be writing with my son and this sounds perfect. Can anybody assist me with the actual experience of diving and /or snorkeling? This is something I have never experienced and find difficlt to discribe. Thank you so much!
Posted by Gigi | June 24, 2007 10:26 AM
I loved the shows. I hope it will rebroadcast again. I had the opportunity to visit the Galapagos Islands this summer with my boys (Ages 11 & 6)It was the best trip and the most educational for everyone. We did alot of research before going and the boys studied their animals and the experience of the animal interaction and swimmimg with the friendly sea lions is remarkable. I too am planning a return, there is just too much to see and do in one week!
Posted by Jessica Antelo | September 18, 2007 1:48 PM
Thank you for your interesting comments about this paradise.
I'm Ecuadorean and I hope to come back to the Islands soon, but this time with my husband and my son. I'm pretty sure this will be an unique experience for all of us.
Posted by Patricia Rhor | October 14, 2007 6:21 PM
To all people involved, let me pay you the greatest praise and compliments. I am a 22 year old college student studying geography and geology. Galapagos aired on a Saturday night, and while a typically large college party erupted outside my apartments doors, I was locked inside utterly captivated by the music, camera work, and each animal's vignette. Is there anyway we can contain anthropogenic crimes against nature on the other 99.9% of Earth and leave the Galapagos Islands untouched, so that the beauty may remain long after we have destroyed everything else. Rally the people to not visit. Fat tourists fresh off the Lunch Buffet on their cruise ship should stay out of the islands please! In any case, Galapagos was the best special I have ever seen. Period.
Posted by reid | February 12, 2008 11:51 AM