Islas Galapagos

"Galapagos" is the Spanish word for tortoises. Darwin visited the islands aboard HMS Beagle in Sept-Oct 1835. He observed a diverse array of reptiles and birds, most of them endemic to the islands, and which differed markedly among closely situated islands. These included novel forms, such as a species of marine iguana, the only lizard that swims in the sea and forages for seaweed. The Galapagos Tortoises are the largest such animals in the world: the Governor of the islands told Darwin he could tell which island any specimen came from, by the shape of its shell. Darwin observed variation in the beaks of finches, but seems to have thought that they were all the same species, until his return to England.