Charles Darwin was one of the most influential scientists that ever lived. He was born on February 12th 1809 in England. He managed to convince the captain of the HMS Beagle to allow him to join the team as the ship’s naturalist. This voyage took the scientist around South America before arriving in the Galapagos Islands in 1835. It was here that Darwin studied the unique species of the islands and discovered the theory of evolution.
Natural Selection
A common bird species of the Galapagos Islands is the Darwin Finch. Of course, it’s pretty obvious now where this bird got its name as it became the main focus of Darwin’s research. The scientist discovered that the island was home to several different species of finches. The interesting fact about this discovery was that the birds varied from one island to the next.
Darwin’s Finches
Following this discovery, Darwin published “On the Origin of Species” which featured the different finches and how their differences proved evolution. This of course changed the way we looked at our world and set Darwin’s theory of evolution firmly in place. According to necsi, the finches that Darwin studied are said to have had different types of beaks. This caught the scientist’s attention because it showed that each bird developed a certain kind of beak in accordance to whatever food was available on its island.
Charles Darwin Research Institute
Visitors and tourists can now visit the Galapagos Islands and see Darwin’s studies like never before in the Charles Darwin’s Research Institute. This is a national park information centre which features an interesting and informative museum that brings you a step closer to the intricate works of Darwin and his studies. There is also a wonderful baby tortoise house with incubators. Here, you might get lucky enough to watch a new born tortoise hatch from an egg. This is a great day out for the family and you might be able to hold a tortoise or snap a great photo with one of the giant tortoises which are famously from the Galapagos Islands.
Galapagos cruises from http://www.steppestravel.co.uk/galapagos-islands-holidays-and-cruises, will give you full access to each of the Galapagos Islands, allowing you to visit the Darwin research centre at your own pace and enjoy the wonders of the discoveries that the scientist made during his time on the islands.
