But today more than 45 species of endemic birds, 42 reptiles, 15 mammals and 79 fish species live on Galápagos and in its nearby waters, according to the Ecuador national parks office. The huge expanse of ocean between the Galápagos Islands and the South American coast makes it very difficult for new kinds of plants and animals to reach the islands - in Darwin's time and now. Darwin noted the animals were similar from island to island, but had adapted to thrive in the environment they were in. After seeing and studying land iguanas, giant tortoises and the many types of finch on the island during an 1835 visit, he developed his theory of evolution by natural selection. They, along with the surrounding marine reserve, have been called a unique "living museum and showcase of evolution."Ĭharles Darwin likely thought so. The study, which is part of a bigger investigation of all snakes that live in the Galápagos Islands, totaling nine species, began in 2018, with the scientists only publishing their findings now.The Galápagos Islands, situated in the Pacific Ocean about 620 miles off the coast of South America, include 19 islands. Western Galápagos Racer (Pseudalsophis occidentalis) out of stress or real hunger looks in its own family for a meal on Fernandina Island, Galapagos Islands. But they also said that these occurrences could be random. The scientists concluded that the reason the snakes exhibited cannibalistic tendencies could be due to a state of stress that instinctively stops them from dying of starvation. Richard Wollocombe, a co-author of the study and nature documentarian, recorded and photographed the hunting behavior of the archipelago's snakes and witnessed several attempts at cannibalism, the Galápagos National Park said in a statement. "We are only beginning to understand the trophic relationships of these snakes, which will help us conserve them in the long term." The results of the findings were published in the journal The Herpetological Bulletin. In a place like Galápagos, it pays to be a generalist as prey numbers can fluctuate dramatically between years," he said. "Our study highlights the generalist feeding behavior of Galápagos terrestrial snakes. A Western Galapagos Racer (Pseudalsophis occidentalis) exhibits cannibalistic behavior on Fernandina Island of the Galapagos Islands as part of a larger investigation of all snakes that live in the Galapagos Island.
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