Lonesome George Update
Good News!
Lonesome George may not be lonesome for much longer!!!!!!!
During our visit to the Charles Darwin Station we saw Lonesome George mating and we were very hopeful...
A nest with 5 eggs were just found in Lonesome George's Corral!
We may have witnessed a piece of Galapagos history in the making!!!!
Read more about it at:
I am attaching a photo we took of Lonesome George mating.
GNP NEWS: New Nest Found in Lonesome George's Corral
21 July 2009
Puerto Ayora, Galapagos
Hopes Soar at the Prospect of Obtaining a Descendant for Lonesome George
Lonesome George looks on as Edgar Munoz, Director of the Galapagos National Park, measures one of the eggs from the nest of one of George’s female companions which was laid earlier this week.
This past Saturday, Female No. 107, one of the two female tortoises who shares a corral with Lonesome George—the last Pinta Island Tortoise in the world—and who laid a nest for the first time back in 2008, returned to nest again this year. In the conservation world and in Galapagos, hopes are high that the eggs from her nest will produce a descendent for Lonesome George—the emblematic reptile of the Galapagos Islands.
Yesterday afternoon, guards opened the nest and five eggs were found in perfect condition. These eggs were removed, weighed, measured, and placed in artificial incubators at the Giant Tortoise Center for Reproduction and Captive Breeding at the Galapagos National Park. Now we must wait 120 days for the incubation process to unfold before learning if the eggs are fertile.
Because of the need to try to bring back the Pinta tortoise species (Geochelone abingdoni) from the brink of extinction, the five eggs were placed in an incubator kept at a temperature of 29.5 ° C, which will allow for the growth of female tortoises instead of males.
Female No. 107 and her female companion No. 106 are from the species Geochelone becki, originally from Wolf Volcano on Isabela Island. They have a carapace that is shaped similar to the shell of Lonesome George. Since 1993, the three tortoises have shared a corral, with the hope that they might eventually reproduce together.
In July of 2008, both female tortoises laid nests for the first time. But, hopes were dashed when all of the eggs were declared infertile near the end of the year. This time around in 2009, scientists are hopeful, but not optimistic, that this latest nest will produce a descendant for Lonesome George and his near-extinct species of Pinta Giant Tortoises.
Proceso de Relaciones Públicas – Parque Nacional Galápagos – Ecuador
For more information, write to: comunicacion@spng.org.ec, or visitwww.galapagospark.org
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Day Nine: The Final Full Day in Galapagos (Including North Seymour Island)
Day 9: The Final Full Day in Galapagos (Including North Seymour Island) Monday, June 29th, 2009 Off we were on short boat trip from Puerto Ayoro to North Seymour Island. Though it’s not a large island in terms of land mass, we were nevertheless thrilled to see the island’s rocky coasts, sand, and many, many animals and plants. This scene may very well be what people first think of if they are asked to picture in their minds the Galapagos Islands. When we first stepped on the island we followed a circular trail (which included some rather tricky climbing up rocks) as frigate birds soared over us. We really got to see the brilliant red breasts of the males. One dramatic scene some of us witnessed was a fuzzy white nestling crying out as adult frigate birds swooped down close to it and then just as quickly went away. Were the adults protecting or harassing the nestling? It was hard to tell. As we made our way further inland along the path we saw more frigate birds and blue footed boobies; one mother booby was keeping one baby warm while it had another egg underneath! It has been said that North Seymour Island includes some of the largest sea bird breeding colonies in the Galapagos. Besides the birds we also saw a good number of lava lizards and land iguanas. Among the plants we saw were the now familiar prickly pear cactus and salt bush. Then we took turns in teams of 8 riding in a small boat along part of North Seymour’s coast and we saw marine iguanas, Sally lightfoot crabs, and (finally) Galapagos fur seals. Then it was back on our main boat for lunch. Later in the day our boat took us to a small island close to North Seymour Island. Some of our group went snorkeling and saw sea turtles and harmless sharks. Others (like Mr. Moy) walked along the beach to see more marine iguanas and Sally lightfoot crabs plus pelicans. If you followed one particular path on this island you can pass a large round sunken area of sand in which sea turtles leave something very important. Therefore humans are forbidden to walk on that area. What do you think is left in that sunken area by the sea turtles? Follow the path a little more and you will come upon a lake where flamingos are often seen, though not on this particular day. Back we went to Puerto Ayoro so we could either rest or do some end-of-trip souvenir shopping. Later that evening it was a time to remember all the exciting adventures we had as we enjoyed our final dinner together in a fine restaurant. Back to Guayaquil tomorrow by plane where our trip officially would end. Adios, amigos! By Robert Moy |
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Day Seven: Floreana and Santa Cruz
July 27, 2009
The next morning, we took a Chiba from Puerto Velasco Ibarra (a bus with sitting on the roof) to the highlands where we saw more Galapaguera. When we entered into the reserves we ran into park rangers weighing and measuring tortoises. Why do you think they were doing this? Why is this work so important?
After getting our fill of tortoises we visited Asilo de La Paz, the only fresh water source on the islands. Just a meters away were a series of caves and tunnels used by buccaneers in the 17th and 18th century. It offered us a glimpse into the human history of the islands. It was amazing to see what it must have been like to be a human on the island so long ago.
A few hours later we boarded our boat to head to Santa Cruz, the final island we would be visiting on our journey.
-Ms Cutler
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Day Eight: Santa Cruz
July 28, 2009
We had a busy and exciting day exploring Santa Cruz Island, which is near the center of the Galapagos archipelago. Our first stop was the highlands, Los Gemelos, which in English means The Twins. These have been described as two large “sink holes” but they look more like two beautiful valleys with much vegetation. Los Gemelos was once a large forest but is now an agricultural zone. In this area we were able to see scalesia, its main plant life, though the scalesia forest contains many other smaller plants. Since the much vegetated scalesia forest is in among the higher zones, what do you think the weather was like for us on Los Gemelos?
Later on as we made our way down we stopped off at a large farm where we saw Galapagos tortoises roaming around freely. These are some of the largest ones you’ll ever get to see in the Galapagos. Want to take a guess as to how heavy a full grown male Galapagos tortoise can weigh? We got to have some real close looks at these tortoises which didn’t seem to mind us at all. Others we left alone so they could just wallow peacefully in large puddles.
After lunch we were back at our hotel in the town of Puerto Ayoro for a rest, and then it was off on a walking trip to the Charles Darwin Research Center. At the center we were able to take in some more plant life including the prickly pear cactus, plus see some birds including Mr. Moy’s favorite, the beautiful yellow warbler. The highlight of our visit was seeing Lonesome George, the famous Galapagos tortoise, who shared an enclosure with his two lady tortoise friends. Unfortunately George was too far at the end of his enclosure for us to get a close look, but at least we were able to enter another compound in which we could walk among other tortoises.
Tomorrow, Day 9 and a visit to North Seymour Island
By Robert Moy
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Day Six: Floreana
July 26, 2009
We had an early morning wake up after our last night on the island of San Cristobal. We boarded our small boat and got ready for a 4-5 hour trip to the island of Floreana. The ride was choppy, and for passengers on the top level, extremely wet. The driver of the boat was fully prepared for this inevitability; he was fully regaled in head to toe water proof gear. During the trip, we did spot a whale. We saw two different sprays of water from the blowhole before the whale disappeared. We were rewarded for our long arduous trip by landing on one of the most beautiful islands we had seen. Floreana is one of the least inhabited islands of the Galapagos, with only about 180 residents. Before we landed, we toured around the opposite side of the island and saw Devil's Cove, a beautiful inlet with spectacular rock formations. Devil's Crown is a collapsed volcanic cone that boasts an extraordinary number and variety of fishes. In addition, sharks, sea lions, sea turtles and eels can be found amongst the rocks and corals. It is supposed to be one of the most amazing locations to snorkel in, but it has been closed off to tourists.
Why do you think this is?
The first resident of the island was one Patrick Watkins, an Irishman who was marooned here in 1807 and stayed until 1809. A penal colony was established on Floreana in the 1830s.
In 1929, a German couple, Friedrich Ritter and Dore Strauch arrived on Floreana. Before leaving Germany, they had all their teeth removed, and had one pair of stainless steel dentures made to share in their new home!
In 1932, Heinz and Margaret Wittmer and their son Harry arrived, and later the same year, 'Baroness' von Wagner Bosquet arrived on the island with her three friends. Following a series of strange events culminating in several mysterious deaths and disappearances, Margaret Wittmer the sole survivor of the original settlers. Margaret Wittmer lived in Floreana until her recent death at a ripe old age, and her descendants still run the hotel, where we stayed!
After landing on Floreana, we had an opportunity to meet our hotel managers and drop off our luggage before exploring the island. Our hotel opened up to a hamlet of black sand beaches and an amazing view of the ocean. After settling in, we took a short hike to another bay area that looked out onto Champion island. We had an opportunity to snorkel in the bay. There were Sally Light Foot crabs and Sea Turtles everywhere. Ms. Leung and Ms. Cutler went all the way around the far side of the island in pursuit of a sea turtle with out realizing it.
Day Five: Isla Lobos and Kicker Rock
Thursday June 25th 2009
We woke up early this morning to have breakfast and then we boarded a small boat. Once we got on the boat we sailed to Isla Lobos which is a small uninhabited island. As we sailed around the island we saw many blue footed boobies, marine iguanas, sally light foot crabs, pelicans, frigates and other birds. Each bird had a different way of getting its food. For example blue footed boobies dive straight down, deep into the water to catch their fish. Frigates glided through the air and do not go as deep into the water to catch their fish.
After sailing around the island we started to snorkel. During this time we saw many different types of fishes, marine iguanas, sea urchins, sea lions, sea turtles and much much more. The sea lions liked to swim up to us and play. They did this by swimming very close to us, swim away and back again. We also saw a sea turtle on the floor of the ocean floor. He was enjoying some algae.
Next we sailed to Kicker Rock. Kicker rock is a large rock formation that is made up of two pieces that use to be one. You can see the erosion that created this crack. On Kicker Rock, we saw Nazca Boobies and Blue Footed Boobies. We found out that the Blue Footed Boobies are born with gray colored feet. Then they fly away and feed on a different island. When they return they come back with blue feet. This phenomenon has not been explained. Why do you think this happens? Once we entered the water around Kicker Rock we saw many sharks including hammerhead sharks. They were swiming right under Ms. Cutler. We saw another Sea Turtle and many schools of fish. There were some interesting barnacles and starfish.
Next we are heading to Floreana and then on to Santa Cruz...
Day Four: Exploring the island of San Cristobal
Wednesday, June 24th 2009
Today we traveled all over the island of San Cristobal. We first visited the Galapaguera. The Galapaguera is funded by the National Park Service of the Galapagos Islands to breed and preserve the Galapagos Tortoise. On the preserve we went to two locations, the first where the mature tortoises (ages 20 to 150) were kept. Their habitat was an open area where they were free to roam and had access to ponds and vegetation. Then we went to a separate facility for the juvenile tortoises. The juvenile tortoises were kept in an enclosed area and separated by age group. The oldest tortoise in the juvenile group is a tortoise named ´Genesis.´ This name was given to her because she was the first tortoise born in this facility. She is now age four!
Why do you think the mature and juvenile tortoises are kept in different types of environments?
After we left the Galapaguera, we traveled to Tarzan´s House which is built in a giant tree. It had a lofted bed, small kitchen, and bathroom in about a 100 square foot space. We teachers from New York City felt very at home in this small space!
Next, we hiked to the highlands of San Cristobal. As we drove from the coast where we saw mangroves, through areas that contained cacti, to the highlands where we saw ferns and miconia we wondered why the vegetation changes according to elevation. Any thoughts?
In the highlands, we visited El Junco which is a volcano crater. This crater has become a lagoon 700 meters above sea level. It is known for the variety of birds that inhabit the area. The silt on the bottom of the lagoon is analyzed to find out about the vegetation and life that existed thousands of millions of years ago. We hiked down to the basin and saw the frigate birds diving for food.
Love,
Ms. Cutler, Ms. Kumaraswamy, Ms. Leung and Mr. Moy
Day Three: Arrival in the Galapagos Island of San Cristobal
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Today we took an airplane from Guayaquil to the Galapagos Island of San Cristobal. When we arrived, the airline stewardess sprayed the plane and our hands with disinfectant. All of our baggage had to be inspected for produce such as fruits and seeds. Why do you think this is?
At the airport we also had to pay an entrance fee of 100 dollars to the islands. This money is collected from anyone who is not Ecuadorian. Ecuadorians pay 6 dollars. The government uses this money to keep contamination out of the Galapagos, conservancies and preserve the islands. Do you think that it is fair for tourists to pay so much money?
After checking into the hotel we went to the San Cristobal Interpretation Center. We learned a lot about the history of San Cristobal Island.
Love,
Ms. Cutler, Ms. Kumaraswamy, Ms. Leung and Mr. Moy
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Day Two: Guayaquil, Ecuador
Monday, June 22, 2009
Today, we went to the Zoológico El Pantanal, a zoo here in Guayaquil, Ecuador. We will be sending a link containing a video about our visit shortly. While you are waiting think about the about the following questions:
1) Do you think zoos are important?
2) We saw many animals from different places around the world. How is it that they can all survive here in Ecuador?
Look at the following pictures:
[Picture 1 & 2: Galapagos Tortoises]
3) These two tortoises are from two different islands in the Galapagos. Compare the shapes of their shells. Why are they different?
[Picture 3: Dwarf Caimans (similar to Alligators) and Turtles]
4) Dwarf Caimans are members of the Alligator family and are carnivores. What’s wrong with this picture?
5) How do you think these two animals are able to share the same habitat?
Please send us any comments or questions the kids come up with!
We’re off to the Galapagos Islands tomorrow and will send another update soon.
Thanks,
Ms. Cutler, Ms. Kumaraswamy, Ms. Leung and Mr. Moy
P.S. Here are some hints/answers for your discussion.
1) Discuss benefits such as education and preservation of animals facing extinction versus removing animals from their natural environment and animal welfare.
2) Their natural habitats must share similar traits with those of Ecuador and/or the animals are adaptable. For example, the climate and food sources might be similar and/or the animals themselves are adaptable to various environments (for example, we saw llamas that are normally found in very cold climates)
3) The tortoise on the top has a saddleback shaped shell that allows for its neck to reach higher vegetation, which is characteristic of the island they inhabit. The other tortoise’s shell is dome-shaped and they live on an island where the vegetation grows lower on the ground.
4) There are turtles in the picture! Caimans should eat them!
5) They do not because the Caimans are well fed.
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Day One: A day of travel
Sunday, July 21st.
Ms. Cutler, Ms. Kumaraswamy and I started the day off very early. We left New York City at 3AM to go to the airport. We flew from JFK to San Jose in Costa Rica. Then we flew to Quito, a city in Ecuador. Next we flew to Guayaquil. We arrived just in time for our first class.
Once we were here, we met Mr. Moy who arrived a day before us. We met many other teachers from across the United States. We are all very excited to fly to the Galapagos on Tuesday.
After our class we went to Iguana Park. It was around 7 PM and there were many Iguanas sleeping in the trees. They were hard to find even though they are very big! Why do you think this is?
Afterwards we walked on a boardwalk called the Malecon and had dinner with our classmates.
Tomorrow, we will spend some more time in Guayaquil visiting a Zoo before we fly to the Galapagos.
Let us know if you have any questions!
For example, one question we thought of on our plane ride here was why Red Footed Boobies and Blue Footed Boobies have different color feet? Do they serve a purpose?
We will keep you posted on our travels! We hope we are able to send you photos and videos soon!
Love,
Ms. Leung
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