Charles Darwin visited the Galapagos islands in 1835, and his observations of unique wildlife helped him develop his ideas about evolution and natural selection. This is a photo of Carole, not Charles Darwin. Nutrient-rich ocean currents, geological isolation, and an equatorial location have evolved species of plants and animals found nowhere else. Being quite a unique species herself, Carole was right at home on the islands. There are many species of Galapagos iguanas, ranging up to six feet in length.
Iguanas look ferocious, but are actually quite docile and passive.
Nature red in tooth and claw. This blue-footed booby and her chick were keeping a wary eye on a Galapagos hawk circing nearby. Giant Galapagos tortoises can go three years without food or water. Pirates in the 19th century would stack living tortoises upside down on the decks of their ships and butcher them months later for fresh meat. . Nobody knows the life expectancy of the Galapagos tortoise.