Let's Save the Endangered Galapagos Mangrove Finch

Mangrove Finch from Save Our Species

Charles Darwin, on his well known and documented voyage to the Galapagos Islands, identified 16 species of finches.  These finches provided the underpinnings for his theory that species evolve to suit their environment.




Now, throughout Galapagos, there are only 15 species remaining, the rest having become extinct.

Medium Ground Finch, Kookr Flickr Creative Commons

In a recent post I told you how scientists are working with Galapagos finches to save them from an invading parasite.  Other scientists are doing work to save the Mangrove Finch, also nearing extinction and on the endangered species list.

Galapagos Finches - From Darwin to the 21st Century

Most of us were taught in school that the bedrock of Darwin's book Origin of the Species and his theory of adaptation stemmed from his observation of finches in the Galapagos Islands. While on Galapagos, he collected and categorized finches from every island he visited, mostly as a study of what exists, but not why they exist.





It was only after he returned home to England and began studying his samples that he came to the realization that the birds from each island had developed slightly differently. Specifically, depending upon where they lived and the type of vegetation that was available on their particular island, they had developed unique beak styles that provided the best and most efficient access to their food source.