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Pinzon Saddleback
Tortoise |
What a wonderful success for conservation efforts in the Galapagos! Scientists and conservationists are reporting that the saddleback tortoises on Pinzon Island have been saved.
I've talked before about unwanted introduced species in Galapagos and efforts to eradicate them. One of the most invasive of these species were rats. They've been around for centuries really. Most likely, they were brought here on pirate ships. The ships layed anchor, the rats left the boat and swam to shore and there, they lived and dined like kings, particularly on the youngest of our species. Tortoises hatchlings, sadly, made a delicious meal and, as the babies died, so did the species. This was true in many places, particularly on Pinzon Island.
"Mama's boy" is at term usually used to describe a human male's exceedingly close relationship with his mother. But, when you really think about it, I guess it should come as no surprise that human sons are not the only species that attach to their moms. That is exactly what the latest research about Galapagos Island sea lions, as reported in the journal Animal Behavior, has confirmed. Like many other species, such as Galapagos Blue Footed Boobies, the male sea lion doesn't venture far from his mom.
Male baby sea lions stay close to and rely on their moms for a much longer period than their female peers. Long after the little boys grow big enough to be capable of hunting and fishing, they still laze around dependently on their moms far after their sisters have ventured out on their own and learned to forage. It seems that the males have it made from a physical and (from what we as humans would refer to as a psychological) point of view.
