Poor Lonesome George - the last tortoise species of his kind in the Galapagos has been trying to reproduce for many years now. What was first thought to be successful fertilization of eggs with a female from a similar species is not looking good, as the eggs are of a poor shape and colour. We had the opportunity to meet Lonesome George in person on our 2002 trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands, and his is indeed a heart-wrenching story. It's really quite emotional to be watching such a large, beautiful animal knowing it's the last of it's kind. Let's all hope that his next batch of eggs is more promising. To watch the video from National Geographic, click here.

11/20/08 by visitEarth
Tags: Galapago, Islands, tortoise, Ecuador, Lonesome George, Galapagos Tortoise

 

OceansArt.US

Travel and Leisure has just voted the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador as the world's best island hotspot for 2008. Moving all the way up from eighth place last year, the Galapagos replaced Bali, Indonesia as the top island travel destination. To read and discover other top tourist destinations, click here.

07/11/08 by visitEarth
Tags: Galapagos, Galapagos Islands, destination, Ecuador, travel, leisure, trip, vacation

 

Here's an interesting video from National Geographic showing recent volcanic activity in the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, on the island of Isabella. The lava is changing the geography of the island, which is placing unwanted pressure on the already fragile ecosystem. To watch the video, click here.

06/12/08 by visitEarth
Tags: Galapagos, Islands, Ecuador, evolution, volcano, volcanos, eruption, Isabella