I WAS WALKING DOWN A SANDY trail perforated by volcanic rocks - the sharp, pointy kind that ruin boots and twist ankles. The heat was making my feet heavy and had scorched the trees to skeletons. While I walked and talked with other members of the group, thirsty mockingbirds hopped between the - surrounding thickets.
I was on San Cristóbal, the easternmost island of the Galápagos, an archipelago born from volcanoes. Here, evolution takes place at such speed that scientists observe certain islands day and night.
I was following in the footsteps of whalers and pirates, yet the animals here know no fear. Blue-footed boobies ignore you as they waggle their feet at prospective mates; spectacular marine iguanas glisten in the sun between swims.
My destination was a volcanic crater. Two craters now fused into one, its cool, muddy bowls are the perfect place for another Galápagos icon - the giant tortoise. Here, these creatures bathe, bask and, if they're lucky, breed.
The group stopped for a drink, and a noise that was at once familiar and alien broke the silence: the mew of a kitten. Our heads turned in unison and our guide, Fernando, disappeared into the bush to investigate. In a place as highly conserved at this, we all knew what had to happen.
San Cristóbal was once overrun by cats, rats and goats. Some snuck onto the island with pirates and whalers in the 1600s; others were intentionally brought here by settlers in the 1700s. The herbivores outcompeted the leisurely tortoises for food and carnivores feasted on their eggs, and the population nosedived. Fernando radioed the location to a team who would take care of the matter, and we pressed on.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة November 2024 من BBC Wildlife.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة November 2024 من BBC Wildlife.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
Jump Around - Bagheera Kiplingi - The acrobatic spider with a predilection for veggie food
Spiders eat flies, right? everyone knows that the 45,000 or so spiders in the world are all obligate carnivores, more or less – eating other animals, mainly invertebrates. Nature, however, loves an exception, and one particular spider missed out on that ecological memo. It goes by the wonderful scientific name of Bagheera kiplingi, and its claim to fame is that its diet is – at least mostly – vegetarian.
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Can Your Really Offset Emissions? - Planning an overseas wildlife-watching trip entails facing some inconvenient truths
Imagine (or maybe you don't need to) that you hanker after the safari trip of a lifetime in sub-Saharan Africa. A 17-day tour beginning at the iconic Victoria Falls, passing through Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi and Tanzania, taking in some of the continent’s most wildlife-rich national parks, and ending on the lush island of Zanzibar.
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WITH EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGIST JV CHAMARY
New series for BBC One: Asia
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Loss of Antarctic sea ice could impact seabird food supply
Albatrosses and petrels may be forced to fly further to feed
Tarsiers in trouble
Urgent action is needed to ensure survival of the Yoda-like primate
SNAP-CHAT
Chien Lee on shrew loos, rogue drones and being rained out of bed
VISIONS OF NATURE
The winners of the Wildlife Artist of the Year competition 2024, from David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation
