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Explore the Galapagos’ biodiversity with Street View
September 12, 2013
This week marks the 178th anniversary of Darwin’s first exploration of the Galapagos Islands. This volcanic archipelago is one of the most biodiverse and unique places on the planet, with species that have remarkably adapted to their environment. Through observing the animals, Darwin made key insights that informed his theory of evolution. Here’s a short documentary that captures the 10-day expedition:
Today, in partnership with the Directorate of the
Galapagos National Park
and
Charles Darwin Foundation
, we’re launching the 360-degree images from the Galapagos Islands that
we collected in May
with the
Street View Trekker
. Now, you can visit the islands from anywhere you may be, and see many of the animals that Darwin experienced on his historic and groundbreaking journey in 1835.
Darwin may have first sighted San Cristobal Island
from the water
, perhaps near where we sailed with the Trekker strapped to a boat in order to observe the
craggy shoreline
and the
Magnificent Frigatebirds
that the rocky landscape shelters. After landing on San Cristobal, we made our way to Galapaguera Cerro Colorado, a breeding center that helps to restore the population of the island tortoises, seriously threatened by invasive species. Wearing the Trekker, we walked by
giant tortoises munching on leafy stalks
and recently hatched
baby tortoises
.
View Larger Map
The Galapaguera plays a critical role in conservation of the giant tortoises
Darwin visited Floreana Island, but he didn’t have the scuba gear needed to properly explore the marine life just off the island’s coast. Thanks to our partner,
Catlin Seaview Survey
and their
SVII underwater camera
, we were able to collect underwater imagery of some especially
energetic and inquisitive sea lions
that came out to see whether the divers wanted to play!
View Larger Map
The playful Galapagos Sea Lion is one of the endemic species of the islands
On our hike through the wetlands of Isabela Island, we spotted some marine iguanas, including
this one
sunning itself after a morning swim. On North Seymour Island, we got up close and personal to
blue-footed boobies performing their mating dance
and the
Magnificent Frigatebirds with their red throat sacs
.
View Larger Map
The blue-footed boobies on North Seymour island
The
extensive Street View imagery of the Galapagos Islands
won’t just enable armchair travelers to experience the islands from anywhere in the world—it will also play an instrumental role in the ongoing research of the environment, conservation, animal migration patterns and the impact of tourism on the islands. See our
Lat Long blog post
for an example of how the imagery will be used for scientific research.
Visit our
behind-the-scenes experience
and tune in to an exclusive
Google+ Hangout
with the Google Maps team and our partners at 9:00 a.m. PT today to learn more about this special collection of imagery.
Posted by Raleigh Seamster, Project Lead, Google Earth Outreach
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