After our hike we continued on to the Turtle Breeding Center. The National Park's conservation program is working hard to save the Galapagos Tortoise which is on the brink of extinction. It is thought once there were 250,00 tortoises on the island but there were less than 20,000 when the breeding center began.
A few weeks before our visit there were 123 baby tortoises stolen from the breeding center and listed for sale on internet, The asking price was $5000, When asked why they don't go after the sellers we were told that there are no identifying marks or chips on the babies so they can't prove the tortoises were from the center. They are now installing cameras and working on a ways to identify each tortoise. Sadly, the center's manager spoke out about this theft after being asked to keep it quiet and lost her job.
The giant tortoise has a life expectancy of 100-200 years. They sleep 12 hours of a 24 hour day! A tortoise can live for six months without food and it is endangered because of this trait. Years ago sailing ships would store the turtles on board to be eaten on the voyage.
Over thousands of years tortoises have isolated from each other by volcanic eruptions and changes in land formations causing changes in their shell shape.
Domed shaped tortoises have shorter necks and legs because they live in the highland region where there is abundant vegetation near the ground to eat.
Saddleback tortoises have longer necks and legs because they live in dryer regions and need to reach for their food.
The center is divided into five areas to represent the five distinct regions the eggs are found. The center keeps them separated by the areas so they can return them to the same area allowing for the distinct adaptations the tortoise has made in each region.
The eggs are incubated four months in the center. Once they have hatched a number is painted on each young tortoises back. They are kept in metal enclosures. While in captivity they are fed and monitored carefully. When the young tortoises reach approximately 3.5 pounds they are released into the regional area their egg was found. The young tortoises are kept in captivity for about 8 years before releasing them back into the region of the island their eggs were found.
This tortoise, the caretakers have named "Brapeer"' has a unique shaped shell and will probably stay at the center for its entire live so researchers can continue to observe him. At this time it is unclear if the shape is a defect or the emergence of a new subspecies.
While still on the park but on our walk back into town we found several flamingos quietly wading in an inlet.
The Galapagos flamingo feeds on small crustaceans and tiny water plants. Their distinctive crooked beaks are pink with a black tip, which are used to separate mud and silt from their food. One interesting fact is that flamingos can only eat with their heads upside down.
Comments
Post a Comment