Fall in Love With the Galapagos Islands, a Ruggedly Beautiful World

The Galapagos Islands might be one of the most hostile and unforgiving environments on the planet. Born of fire, the islands arose from the ocean floor as pillars of cooling magma that met the sea water and solidified, creating massive islands where none had existed previously. Strong ocean currents collide here, including the cold Humboldt Current, bringing surprising cooler waters and an upwelling of nutrients from the ocean's depths. Animals began to gather. First, there were the smaller fish, followed by the large predators such as hammerhead sharks, reef sharks, trevallies, and snappers. The Galapagos shark evolved and became the apex predator in these waters.
The birds found the islands, hunting the fish in the ocean and depositing excrement that would eventually mix with eroding lava rocks to become the soil and the basis for the plant life that eventually took root. Sea lions drifted here from California. Lizards, stranded on rafts of vegetation found a home on the rocks. Lack of vegetation and other food forced them to evolve into the world's only aquatic lizard. Now capable of diving to depths of over 100m and holding their breath for 30 minutes at a time, they can feed on algae that was once out of reach beneath the waves.
Giant tortoises, capable of going without food or water for a year at time could also survive a journey from Africa to these islands. They also needed to evolve to endure in a world where food and fresh water are scarce. The animals either adapted or died and what became of the survivors was a world full of unique creatures that were unlike those on any other continent.
Humans were slow to explore or inhabit these arid islands due to a shortage of fresh water and the lack of soil that would allow farming. Eventually, even those challenges were overcome and pirates began to use the islands as a place to hide as they intercepted Spanish ships. Settlers from around the islands would begin to populate them in the 1800s, although they were not often successful.
Travelers from around the world come here now to experience the culture and the beauty, as well as the animal life that is so fascinating and unusual. Charles Darwin made the islands famous in 1835 when he began to note the adaptations that inspired his theory of evolution. These observations led us to a new understanding of how the world, and the animals formed. It also challenged our understanding of our own species and led us to new questions, new answers, and new insight.
This video shows the highlights from a journey that brought two Canadians across the world for a glimpse at life above and beneath the waves. They came face to face with sharks of all kinds, whale sharks, the giants of the deep, mola mola fish, playful sea lions, marine iguanas, batfish, crabs, and incredible natural wonder. The people here are warm and inviting. The terrain is ruggedly beautiful. The sights are unforgettable. In one visit, these Canadians saw a blue whale, the largest animal on earth, the largest shark, the largest bony fish, and the longest living vertebrates on the planet.
Share the wonder as you have a glimpse of their experiences, and then, fall in love with the Galapagos Islands like they have.