Nature Essays

Nazca Booby Birds (Sula granti)

A Nazca Booby nest with two eggs, is normal. The birds here are able to nest on the ground, but there are problems for some chicks.

Two eggs are laid but only one chick will survive. There are no ground predators, but still, not all the chicks will survive. The stronger of the two will peck the weaker one until death. Scientists explain that through evolution, the species needed some way to limit the population to guarantee food for all. Wildlife is abundant here so some species must to be self-limiting or the food supply could not sustain the species.

A great deal has been learned from the wildlife on the Galapagos Islands. The Islands are isolated from the mainland of South American by distance and ocean currents. Each species has had to adapt here or become extinct.

Visitors, eco-tourists, are becoming more common. How much longer will the wildlife here be isolated and unique? Will today's fourth grade student get to see the Galapagos and all its wonders, when she is an adult?