14 Unique Animals of the Galapagos Islands
4
of 14
Galapagos Finches
rounded black and grey finch with substantial orange beak and tiny eyes. Santa Cruz, Galapagos Marine Reserve, Ecuador.
Paul Krawczuk / Flickr / CC BY 2.0
Since they played such an important role in the development of Darwin's theory of natural selection, the remarkable finches of the Galapagos are among the most famous animals on the islands. There are 13 species of Darwin's Finch alive today in the Galapagos Islands, and they all evolved from a single ancestral species. Each species is most easily distinguished by differences in beak size and shape.
The evolution of the finches of the Galapagos illustrates an ideal example of adaptive radiation, in which organisms rapidly diversify.
of 14
Galapagos Finches
rounded black and grey finch with substantial orange beak and tiny eyes. Santa Cruz, Galapagos Marine Reserve, Ecuador.
Paul Krawczuk / Flickr / CC BY 2.0
Since they played such an important role in the development of Darwin's theory of natural selection, the remarkable finches of the Galapagos are among the most famous animals on the islands. There are 13 species of Darwin's Finch alive today in the Galapagos Islands, and they all evolved from a single ancestral species. Each species is most easily distinguished by differences in beak size and shape.
The evolution of the finches of the Galapagos illustrates an ideal example of adaptive radiation, in which organisms rapidly diversify.
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31 August 2023
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