This study was fundamental to the development of his theories on natural selection. So far almost 600,000 litres of fuel have seeped out the tanker. On Sunday, the country's environment minister warned that new cracks have appeared in the hull, speeding up the leak. Since then, half of the ship has been submerged, and marine officials say there's a good chance the vessel will break in two. Slicks are now affecting a 303-square kilometre area.
Officials say the current is pushing the spill south.
They're worried it could soon reach Espanola Island, home to large colonies of sea lions, and the island of Santa Fe, famed for the Santa Fe land iguana, a species found nowhere else. U.S. pollution-fighting experts arrived to help with the cleanup on Sunday with specialized petroleum spill equipment, setting up floating nets and barriers to contain the spill. They're also trying to contain the oil still on board the tanker. Local biologists say the long-term danger is that the fuel will sink to the ocean floor and destroy algae vital to the food chain, threatening marine iguanas, sharks and other species. Slicks have already reached some nearby beaches and harmed sea lions and birds, including blue-footed boobies, pelicans and albatrosses.