Thus, just as the tortoises rely on the diverse plant life for sustenance, the plant life depends on them for regeneration and growth. In other words, Pinta's plant life and its tortoises share a unique and important co-dependency. With no Giant Tortoises, the balance was destroyed. They were plant eaters and kept shade-producing plants from overtaking and blocking those that need greater sunlight. Giant Tortoises, once a huge presence on Pinta, had died out. How could some be overrunning the others? The answer became obvious. In the past, there was room for all the species of flora to grow freely. Scientists, as is typical in Galapagos, began to study what had changed. Regeneration of Pinta’s other vegetation. Passionflower, could be negatively affected by the unchecked Such as the Darwin Aster, Galapagos Cotton, and Galapagos That some of the endemic plant species that require substantial light, With the plant life in full rejuvenation mode, there started to be indications The remaining vegetationīut, Pinta teaches another story. Galapagos Conservancy made a concerted effort to eradicate the goatsĪnd now reports that the grazing was successfully checked before any Goats ran rampant on Pinta and sought to take their toll on the extraordinary plant life. Other of the Galapagos Islands, often with disastrous environmental Pinta, it was not subjected to invasive species that were brought to That said, however, until the 1950’s, when fishermen brought goats to The story of how the Pinta Tortoise came to be extinct is well known. The exception were the pirates who invaded not only Pinta, but many of the Galapagos Islands, taking and destroying the Giant Galapagos Tortoise populations along the way. For many years, it was almost entirely undisturbed by outside intruders. This diverse plant life was able to develop largely because Pinta is so isolated and remote. Not only does that number itself represent an extreme diversity, but just as remarkable is that of these, 1/3 of the species are found only in the Galapagos 19 are found only on a small number of the islands and two are endemic to Pinta. 180 plant groups have been identified on Pinta Island, meaning plants classified as being in the same category based on their features and genetic matching. Pinta is a paradise for scientists studying Galapagos Flora and the symbiotic relationship between flora and certain Galapagos wildlife, particularly the Galapagos Giant Tortoises. For more about these two captivating creatures, see my post Galapagos Sea Lions They are Definitely Not Seals. It is one of the few islands in the Galapagos where both Galapagos Sea Lions and Galapagos Fur Sea Lions can be found. Pinta Island is also home to Mockingbirds, Swallow-tailed Gulls, Marine Iguanas and Sparrow Hawks. Highlights include the Flycatcher, Red-lipped Batfish, ever-present sea lions, sea turtles, pelagic fish species, and Moray Eels. Pinta, like the other Galapagos islands, is home to many birds and fish. Second, though remote and very small, this marvelous gem hosts nearly 1/3 of the native terrestrial plants in the Galapagos. It is best known for being the home of Lonesome George, the iconic Galapagos tortoise, the last of his species, who died in June 2012. It is renowned for two significant reasons. Pinta is an important island from the viewpoint of conservancy, preservation and species evolution. Not only is Pinta the most northern of the Galapagos Islands, but also it hosts no visitor sites, other than one boat landing site, used primarily by scientists, on its northern shore called Punta Neros. Pinta is a shield volcano with numerous young cones and lava flows. Its highest point is 2550 feet above sea level. Pinta Island (also known as Abington, but better known as named after Columbus' ship The Pinta) is a tiny spot representing less than 1% of the entire Galapagos land reserve (it is just 60 km in area).
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