Charles Darwin Collection Found After 165 Years
January 20th, 2012 § Leave a Comment
It is a story of a scientific rediscovery. It’s a tale that includes with the father of evolution and his forgetful friend, as well as an once-in-a-lifetime find by a British researcher.
CBS News correspondent Mark Phillips reports that it’s the gate to a discovery by one of the world’s great scientists, that’s been lost for a long time.
Howard Falcon-Lang spends a lot of time in a warehouse of the British Geological Survey, where he does research. He says there are always “a few surprises.”
Howard was walking along one row when he spotted an old wooden cabinet hidden in a forgotten corner.
“Well, as any curious person would do, I just pulled open the door without breaking it, and found a series of drawers containing hundreds of rock samples,” Falcon-Lang says.
Normal enough stuff, until he took one out.
“I held it up to the light and tried to make out the words on the slide and there was the signature: C. Darwin, Esquire,” Falcon-Lang says, adding he could “hardly believe it. My heart was pounding all around my body.”
They were actual samples collected by the Charles Darwin during his five-year voyage in the 1830s on HMS Beagle, where his observations of wildlife and fossils, particularly on the Galapagos Islands off South America, lead to the development of his theory of evolution that shocked the world.
Most of the evidence Darwin used has been well documented, but the samples Howard Falcon-Lang accidentally found had been lost because Darwin entrusted them to a fellow scientist, J.D. Hooker, perhaps the original absent-minded professor.
Hooker committed the cardinal sin of failing to number his fossils, and as a consequence this collection has just been stuck in drawers for 165 years.
There are more that 10 million rock samples in this warehouse packed in boxes and stacked on shelves, all of them cataloged, except for some that slipped through the cracks – some of the most important ever found.
They’re now found, and being studied, again.
World-first hybrid shark found off Australia
January 3rd, 2012 § Leave a Comment
Updated January 03, 2012 20:53:48
More than 50 of the hybrid sharks were found in a 2,000-kilometre stretch of coast.
Marine biologists say they have discovered the world’s first hybrid sharks off Australia’s east coast, a potential sign the predators are adapting to cope with climate change.
They say the mating of the Australian black-tip shark with its global counterpart, the common black-tip, is an unprecedented discovery with implications for the entire shark world.
“It was unprecedented because hybridisation between sharks in the wild has never been reported before in Australia or worldwide,” said Dr Jennifer Ovenden from the Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries.
The scientists were examining fish stocks when they found 57 of the hybrid sharks in a 2,000-kilometre stretch of coast. They are a cross between two related but genetically different species.
The larger common black-tip shark swims in the colder waters of southern Queensland and northern New South Wales, while the smaller Australian black-tip likes warmer seas.
Dr Ovenden says there is a good reason why these sharks interbreed.
“Species with the smaller body can hybridise with the species with the larger body, allowing that tropical species to move further south,” she said.
“We are thinking that it will provide the sharks with a mechanism to adapt to future environmental change.”
Remarkable
Hybridisation happens among many species in the animal kingdom, including birds and some fish, but until now has been unknown among sharks.
Dr Colin Simpfendorfer, director of the Fishing and Fisheries Research Centre at James Cook University, says the discovery will help expand scientific understanding of sharks.
“It’s obviously a very interesting observation because we’ve never seen hybrid sharks before, and so it’s been hypothesised that it’s possible but we’ve never had any proof that it happens,” he said.
JCU fisheries researcher David Welch says it is a remarkable discovery.
“They actually choose a mate. It’s not like a fish where they actually put eggs and sperm into the water and they can potentially mix,” he said.
“Animal species tend to know their own kind, but in this case there seems to be a high prevalence of them interbreeding.”
The scientists are planning to look for hybridisation in other waters, including the western and northern Australian coasts
***
Sharks play an important role in the health of the marine environment. Sharks are known for being one of the few animals that never evolved over millions of years as they were perfectly suited to the ocean environment and did not need to adapt. However the new hybrid sharks show that global changes have caused the sharks to begin to process of evolution in order to survive.
Baltra Land Iguanas
January 2nd, 2012 § Leave a Comment
Land Iguana at the Baltra Airport
The story of the Baltra Land Iguanas is one that illustrates the effect both good and bad humans have had on the Galapagos wildlife population over the years.
Up until the early part of the 20th century Baltra was considered “Iguana Headquarters”. There were hundreds of land iguanas living on the island of Baltra. Located near the center of the Galapagos Islands just north of Santa Cruz Island, Baltra is a small and relatively flat island with little vegetation other than the prickly pear cactus, a staple in the land iguana diet.
In the early 1930’s the Hancock-Pacific Galapagos Expedition made several voyages to the Galapagos. Funded by Allan Hancock a renaissance man of the time. Hancock was considered a sea captain, oilman, explorer, developer, banker, aviator, scientist, businessman, farmer, railroad engineer, musician and philanthropist. More over Hancock was a man of great wealth and connections. For his expeditions to the Galapagos Hancock put together a group of experts including Waldo Schmitt (of the Smithsonian Institution) who would also accompany FDR during his 1938 fishing trip to Galapagos.
Waldo Schmitt with a Baltra Land Iguana c 1934
During their voyages the Hancock Expedition collected and cataloged a number of new species of wildlife from the Galapagos. These species were subsequently brought back to the United States and donated to some of the country’s finest institutions including the Smithsonian Museum, the California Academy of Sciences, the San Diego Zoological Gardens, and the Steinhart Aquarium.
In January 1934 the Hancock Expedition visited Baltra Island. While there the expedition collected approximately 15 land iguanas to be transported back for the San Diego Zoo. During the time on the island, several scientists noticed that many of the land iguanas seemed to be suffering from starvation.
Two days later the Expedition visited North Seymour. North Seymour and Baltra (South Seymour) are located relatively close together and the conditions on both islands are similar. However the expedition members noted North Seymour had more vegetation and therefore they felt it was a more favorable environment for the iguanas. Not seeing any reason why North Seymour did not have its own population of land iguanas, the group decided to help save the starving iguanas.
The Hancock Galapagos Expedition transporting Baltra Iguanas to North Seymour
They returned to Baltra to capture additional iguanas and relocated them to North Seymour. Normally this would be considered a disastrous event as land iguanas were not native to North Seymour and thus became an introduced species to the island. As with any introduced species it has the potential to change the natural habitat and affect the flora and fauna naturally found on the island. Over time the actions of the Hancock Expedition would prove to be quite fortunate.
By the end of the 1930’s hostilities grew all over the world and World War II would begin. In 1943 a military base was established in Baltra. Shortly after the end of the war land iguanas became extinct on that island. The reason for the extinction has been speculated for many years. Early history books and many in Galapagos have blamed the military personnel stationed on Baltra for killing the iguanas for sport. That these same military people through deliberate acts would led to the extinction of the Baltra Iguanas.
According to John Peck who was stationed with the Navy on Baltra during WWII “We could have free range of the Navy side and we could explore the area, but could not to molest the wildlife”.
Records show there were orders that came down from the military according to Wetmore’s memorandum of December 9, 1942 “you take appropriate action to prevent any unnecessary molestation of the wildlife in the Galapagos Archipelago and to prohibit the introduction of domestic animals that prey on the native fauna”
It seems highly unlikely that a group of young men under direct orders not to harm the native wildlife would be shooting the iguanas for fun.
Taking this into consideration leaves a mystery as to why would an island, which was considered “Iguana Headquarters” in the early 1930’s see the Iguana become extinct in a period of 20 years.
At a reunion of the 29th Bombardment Squadron in 1989 a small survey was taken regarding the iguanas. “Do you have any first or second hand accounts of hunting iguanas or eating them?” The respondents unanimous stated “NO”.
John Peck describes, “We had a pet iguanas called IT as the sex was unknown. It would sleep on the table in the medical laboratory, the medical techs would feed it vegetables greens i.e. lettuce and carrot tops. IT was very gentle and enjoyed all the care given to the animal. We would take IT to other places on the base and many of the personnel would pet and feed IT.”
US Military Personell with Baltra Land Iguana
It seems that from what John Peck has stated and the survey of the 29th Bombardment Squadron that the military personnel were not killing iguanas. As a group they seemed genuinely found of the iguanas and made many of the iguanas into pets.
The theory that the military personnel were responsible for the decline of the Baltra iguana population through a deliberate act seems unlikely. By doing some research of the events of the events over these years there seems a more likely scenario for what actually occurred.
As we mentioned in an earlier blog the first military personnel were sent to Baltra less than a week after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Construction of the base was in effect in March 1943. Military documents from the SeaBees (the construction battalion who built navy bases all over the world) show it was Ecuadorian contractors who began the construction of the Baltra Base in the early portion of 1943. These contractors used local sand and loose soil in the construction of the concrete they used to pour the foundations of buildings, the dock and airport. When the SeaBee’s arrived in Baltra in October of 1943 to complete the job and imported all materials needed to finish the construction and used no native materials in their building of the base.
Early military correspondence regarding the base includes a report from Wetmore in 1942. “We have report of native laborers engaged in various work on the islands killing iguanas for their skins. This was stop by one of the officers but may begin again at any time”
While the native labors seem to have been deliberately killing land iguanas for their skins it was the Ecuadorian Contractors unintentional acts that proved far more costly to the iguanas.
In the 2989 survey of the 29th squadron members were asked “Do you have any recollection of the iguana population when you arrived? When you left? While you where there did the population increase/decrease/remain stable? Did you see any young iguanas?”
All of the respondents stated they remember iguanas when they arrived, while they were there, and when they left. However none remembered ever seeing any young iguanas. Why suddenly on an island with a healthy iguana population would suddenly there be no baby iguanas?
Iguanas lay their eggs in sand or loose soils, the same materials that the local contractors excavated to build the new base. In using the local sands and loose soils the early contractors would have upset the iguana nesting sites and in affect caused the population of young iguanas to decline.
When combining the decline in new iguanas with other factor from the time the reason for extinction of the Baltra Iguanas seems quite clear. For much of the 1940’s the US military occupied Baltra. During this time iguanas and goats were both left to have free range of the island.
The earlier instruction to rid the islands of introduced domestic animals seemed to reach the Galapagos as not to bother any of the animals as evident from a memorandum from Harmon in 1946
“The large number of native goats, protected by Executive Order, make a continuous practice of upsetting garbage and trash cans. They are a great annoyance and menace to sanction. Initiate request… for authority to round them up and transport them either to Little Seymour (Seymour North) or to Santa Cruz”
Feral goats during WWII on Baltra
The US Military left Baltra in 1948 and five years later in 1953 land iguanas were extinct on Baltra. Why did the Baltra Land Iguanas become extinct?
It was not because the military personnel were not shooting the iguanas for sport or eating the iguanas.
The reason for the extinction is early contractors upset the nesting grounds and no new iguanas were born. The number of plants available as food for the iguanas was scarce at the time of the Hancock Expedition in the 1930’s and when the population of goats was allowed to grow the competition for food may have put further stain on the scarce food supply. When competing for food between goats and iguanas the goats always win.
Lastly as we know from the land iguanas on South Plaza, iguanas can relate people to food and remember this correlation. On Plazas early passengers would bring oranges ashore, quickly the iguanas related visitor to an easy supply. The lazy iguanas began hopping into the laps of visitors begging for food. John Heck told us that the military personnel would feed the iguanas lettuce, carrot tops and other produce causing the iguanas to become accustom to people and relating people to an easy food sources.
As mentioned above the Wetmore memorandum of 1942 native laborers were killing iguanas for the skins. At the time the military left the island the iguanas found on Baltra would have been far easier to capture as they now related people to food so anyone wanting to capture an iguana would find it an easy job.
A combination of these factors would account for what happened to the iguanas. The iguanas disappeared from Baltra as a consequence of the coming into contact with humans. It was ignorance of the consequences of their actions by the people who came into contact with the iguanas led to their deaths rather than any deliberate malicious act.
Land Iguana eating a prickly pear cactus pad on Baltra
All of this would be a terribly sad story of a species that is now extinct if it hadn’t been for the decision made by the Hancock-Galapagos Pacific Expedition in January 1934. By moving iguanas to North Seymour on this voyage and the proceeding voyage the members of the Hancock Expedition consequently saved the Baltra Land Iguanas from extinction. In the 1980’s the Galapagos National Park captured iguanas on North Seymour and brought them to the Charles Darwin Research Station where they were bred. In the 1990’s these land iguanas were reintroduced to Baltra the island where they originated. Today while there are no longer goats on Baltra, there is still a military base, an airport and a healthy population of land iguanas.
Building of Ecological Airport in Galapagos to Begin
December 21st, 2011 § 1 Comment
“This means that you can perform the civil works. We hope to start with the closing of the land from next Monday, “said Barrenechea.
The concession was awarded more than two years, but the construction had to wait until the contract conditions attaching to the standards defined by the new Constitution (2008). Initially, it should be ready this year, but now the work must be completed by the end of 2012.
The airport will work with renewable energy, the roof will consist of solar panels, solar collectors will heat water and generate electricity, light-colored pavement will reduce the heating effect and will have LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design).
An investment of approximately 24 million dollars will be used to construct the new Baltra Airport.
Building of the Top-Secret Base at Baltra
December 20th, 2011 § 2 Comments
Group of Navy Men stationed in Baltra John H Peck is #7
Part II of our series on the World War II base at Baltra with assistance from John H Peck
In the late 1930’s and early 1940’s as tensions grew around the world, interest in a military base on Baltra Island grew. The Marshall Documents shows that negotiations between the US and Ecuador for the construction of a military base in the Galapagos were well in place during 1939. United States interests made a base in the Galapagos Islands a priority and Baltra was the ideal island due to its clear skies and lack of rain.
Baltra Base during WWII
In March 1940, local Galapagos residents reported seeing of German U-Boats in the Galapagos Islands. In August the same year Germany admitted loosing an aircraft to the Panama Canal defenses. By the end of 1940 it was publically known the US was in negotiations with both Costa Rica for the use of Cocos Islands and with Ecuador for the use of the Galapagos as military bases to protect the Panama Canal.
US Military Ship at the Dock in Baltra
In September of 1941 a Dutch boat was sank near the Galapagos as did an Australian ship in early December and there were extensive reports of a Nazi Raiders in the region and these Raiders were thought to have been responsible for the sinking of both boats.
US Planes over the Baltra Base
On the South America Continent tensions had been growing between Ecuador and Peru over land dispute in the Amazon Region. During 1939 and 1940 there were a number of skirmishes between along the boarder and finally in July 1941 Peru invaded Ecuador. The 13,000 men who made up the Peruvian forces quickly over took Ecuador’s meager 1,800 men. Peru began bombing the towns of Huaquillas, Arenillas, Santa Rosa and Machala along the southern coast of Ecuador. The Peruvians sent paratroopers into the Puerto Bolivar. Quickly Peru occupied almost the entire province of El Oro and some towns in the province of Loja. A blockade around the port of Guayaquil shut off the supply line into the country.
Control Tower at Baltra During WWII
As the US continued negotiations with Ecuador to obtain a military base in the Galapagos continued, Ecuador wanted part of the negotiation to include the sanctions against Peru and the return land in the Amazon region which amounted to over half of the size of their country.
Eleanor Roosevelt Visiting the Base in Baltra During WWII
However when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor things quickly changed. Within 5 days US troops were sent to the Galapagos to begin a modest refueling station for naval aircraft. In January 1942 an agreement was signed between the US and Ecuador for the use of the Galapagos Islands by the US Military. In March Ecuadorian Contractors began construction of a military base on the island of Baltra and in September the same year the SeaBees arrived to complete the job.
Feral Goats in front of Military Buildings During WWII
Known as Base Beta, Baltra was top-secret military base. According to John Peck who was stationed there “On arrival in CZ (Canal Zone), I was asked to volunteer for duty on an island in the Pacific, I did not know or was told what island. I was told it was for only six months, and when it was up I could return to the CZ.” “We left the first week of January 1944 via seaplane to arrive at our new base. On the flight we were told we were going to Galapagos, which was 600 miles off of South America. All messages were censored and all mail would be censored. On arrival on Baltra we were assigned to our departments and were told the Sea Bees were still in process of building we could only stay on the Navy side of Baltra, as the US Army Air Corps occupied the other side.”
Baltra Base Post Office
Those stationed there were treated very well. Other than a hospital shared by the both the Army and Navy the two bases were separate. A small city was created for those who lived there including a church with services on Sundays, a movie theatre with current releases, a beer garden and bowling alley. Those stationed there enjoyed the beaches, and deep-sea fishing as well as made pets of some of the Land Iguanas and feral goats found on the islands. Mail arrived daily via seaplanes from the CZ and those stationed on Baltra were given the option to take college courses, which could be transferred to universities in the US.
To read Part I see The Role of Baltra in WWII
The Role of Baltra in World War II
December 16th, 2011 § 1 Comment
With the assistance of John H Peck, possibly the final member of the Ancient Order gang of the ancient Order of the Whiskered of Galapagos who was stationed in Baltra during WWII we decided to do a series of blogs on the role of Baltra during WWII.
Map shows how a shield against attack from both the Atlantic and Pacific will be formed around the Panama Canal by the new US and proposed bases on Cocos and Galapagos Islands. Desirab
September 6, 1940
Costa Rica, Ecuador AID in defenses
But FDR Answers Query on Pacific Islands with “No Negotiations On”
By the Associated Press
Washington, September 6, – President Roosevelt said today that Costa Rica and Ecuador were co-operating completely with the United States in plans for the defense of the Americas, but he added no negotiated for acquisition of additional naval and air bases were now under way with any country.
Asked about reports that Costa Rica had offered this country Cocos Islands about 600 miles northwest of the Panama Canal in the Pacific for a base, the President replied that all he could say on that was that there was complete co-operation between Costa Rica and the United States in the defense of the Americas.
AVOIDS QUIZ ON GALAPAGOS
Another question at Mr Roosevelt’s press conference was whether the Galapagos Islands, about 1000 miles southwest of the canal were involved in talks with Ecuador. He made the same reply, namely that Ecuador was working with this country on continental defense.
Mr. Roosevelt emphasized however that there were no negotiation on to acquire bases other than those granted by Great Britain on eight of its crown colonies from Newfoundland to British Guiana in exchange for 50 over-age destroyers.
Before the President’s meeting with the press it was learned that Canada was seeking several hundred obsolete World War tanks and large quantities of military supplies from the United States.
Seated in the well deck of USS Houston (CA-30), with a shark he caught in Sullivan Bay, Galapagos Islands, July 1938. A sailfish is being hoisted up in the left distance. Courtesy of Otto Schwartz, USS Houston Association, 1982.
Since the rumor mills in 1940’s were alive with both Cocos and Galapagos being sites of potential bases and records released after the war showed that materials were being stockpiled for these bases far before the attack on Pearl Harbor. It might seem more than a coincidence, during July of 1938, FDR took a fishing trip to the Cocos Islands and Galapagos. While this was before the war had officially begun, Italy and Germany were already showing aggression in Europe. Germany had sanctioned Austria and made claims on parts of Czechoslovakia. While in the Pacific, Japan had invaded China the year before and the same month as this “fishing trip” Japan invaded both Russia and Mongolia. It may be that as early as 1938 FDR and the US Government realized the strategic importance of the Galapagos Islands in the defense of the Panama Canal and the US interests.
Beaches of Northern Peru
December 14th, 2011 § 1 Comment
As summer starts in South America, those from the cold Northern Hemisphere are often looking for a place to warm up and enjoy the beach. The Galapagos Islands is home to many wonderful beaches. Yet if you are looking to discover the ideal beach destination on the South American Continent I would suggest the beaches of Northern Peru.
If you are traveling from Ecuador to Peru by road as you depart Guayaquil heading down the Pan American Highway. It takes approximately 3 hours to reach the boarder. The boarder crossing is fairly easy. First you need to stop at the Ecuadorian Immigration Office in Huyaquillis for your departure stamp then cross the boarder and make a stop at the Peruvian Immigration Office in Agua Verde.
The first city you will reach after crossing the boarder is about 5 minutes away, Tumbes, the regional capital. Tumbes has a number of hotels, mangrove tours where you can see crocodiles and an airport offering flights to Lima.
As you travel south of Tumbes it is striking the difference between the topography from the Ecuador and Peru. The highway through Ecuador is lined with miles and miles of banana plantations, yet once you pass Tumbes you will be delighted by the scenic vista of miles and miles of pristine beaches, small beach towns and the blue waters of the open ocean.
The white sand beaches, almost always-clear skies and relaxed atmosphere of the beach towns of Punta Sal, Zorritos, Los Organoes and the surf Mecca of Mancora dream destinations. The region is known as the birthplace of Ceviche and seafood is a must do when visiting the beaches of Northern Peru.
You can reach the beaches of Northern Peru on a short flight from Lima to Piura, Tumbes or Talara. Piura also has a flight from Santa Rosa, Ecuador (the Machala area). Private Car transfers can also be arranged in advance from Guayaquil. However most visitors to the region take one of the international busses traveling between Ecuador and Peru making a stop en route to Southern Peru.
Quito Tour Bus
December 14th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
teaser quito tour bus from santiago proaño on Vimeo
A new option for travelers wanting to tour the Quito began this month with the Quito Tour Bus. Located high in the Andes Mountains, Quito is the capital of Ecuador and a UNESCO world heritage site. Acclaimed as the best preserved colonial city in Latin America, the old city of Quito is a beautiful city with cobblestone streets, large parks, fountain filled plazas and art filled churches.
The Quito Tour Bus makes it possible for visitors to view the wonders of Quito on a safe and comfortable double decker bus. The service which began on December 1st offers a multilingual tour of Quito and the unlimited ability to hop on and off during the day.
The bus stops at twelve different locations along a pre-determined route that features the modern financial district of Avenida Naciones Unidas to the Historic Old City and runs between 9am and 7pm. As well as a night route that departs at 7pm. The cost of the bus is $12 per person with a 50% discount for children and the elderly.
The service is similar to the Guayaquil Vision Tour service available in Guayaquil and the two services currently operating in Lima.
Marcahuamachuco – Machu Picchu of the North
December 13th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
With Machu Picchu reaching at least one million tourists by the end of 2011, perhaps it’s time for another archaeological site to attract the masses.
The Global Heritage Fund (GHF), an international conservancy for endangered cultural heritage sites in developing countries, has selected Marcahuamachuco as a second new conservation and community development project in Peru.
Marcahuamachuco was the most important Pre-Incan city in the Peruvian Andes, considered by many to be the “Machu Picchu of the North” and the “Jewel of La Libertad.” International organizations are working with the local government to make the site one of Peru’s leading tourist attractions.
The “Machu Picchu of the North” is set atop the nexus of three mountain valleys at over 10,000 feet (3,200 meters), overlooking satellite sites and the rivers below. Celebrated for its massive castillo(castle) and unique circular double-walled archaeological structures that predate the imperial expansion of the Incas and the Huari, Marcahuamachuco was constructed between 400-800 AD and became northern Peru’s most important political, economic and military center, according to the GHF.
John Hurd, the project’s leading heritage expert, was impressed by the archaeological site. “What first struck me was that it was breathtakingly transparent, it really was public, it was built to impress,” he says in the video.
Luis Alberto Rebaza, the mayor of Huamachuco province, which has 150 000 residents, calls the site’s tourism potential “the great opportunity of my people,” reports News24.com.
Archaeologists hope to find clues in burial sites found behind thick walls in an area of the complex called the Castle where priests or nobles may have been buried, reports News24.com.
Restoring the ruins will be challenge because locals still live within the archaeological site. Marcahuamachuco is considered endangered and faces accelerating threats as the ruins degrade from grazing of livestock, lack of conservation, weathering, plant growth and the continued unchecked effects of natural elements on the ancient structures, according to the GHF.
Still, Marcahuamachuco still has potential to be one of the first UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the northern highlands of Peru, relieving pressure from the already over-exploited ruins of Machu Picchu and providing a source of economic development for the locals.
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Northern Peru is an upcoming star in Peru Travel. Home to spectacular beaches and significant archaeological sites. A new road makes a Marcahamachuco a three and 1/2 hour drive from Trujillo. Trujillo is home to the adobe city of Chan Chan and the Moche Temples including the Temples of Sol y Luna.
