Galapagos Explorer: your luxury vessel in Galapagos

The Galapagos Islands have often been called a "laboratory of evolution" There are very few places in the world where it has been possible to find such a variety of species, both plants and animals that show so many degrees of evolutionary changes in such a restricted area. Oceanic islands can have species that, though related to mainland forms, have evolved in ways that differ from their relatives because of their isolation in a different environment. This is the key factor in island evolution. It is not surprising that Charles Darwin was so struck by the life he found on these islands. Charles Darwin

Darwin finches are a classic example of adaptive radiation in birds, which has served generations of evolutionary biologists. Thirteen species evolved within the Galapagos Archipelago from a common ancestor from the mainland. The fourteenth species occurred on Cocos Island off Costa Rica, about five hundred miles northeast of the Galapagos. The original species diverged in 14 species, as they evolved and occupied niches.

The word endemic refers to organisms found nowhere else in the world because they evolved and remained isolated on a given area. Therefore, they developed unique characteristics and today in Galapagos, you will find several species that fall into this classification.