Date/Time
Date(s) - 04/19/2016
8:00 pm - 9:30 pm
Location
Five Star Premier Residences of Chevy Chase
Categories
Jim Turner will show some photographs from his recent visit to the Galapagos. The Galapagos are a group of 21 volcanic islands located in the Pacific Ocean about 600 miles west of Ecuador (South America). Despite being on the Equator their climate is quite mild; average temperatures are about 80 degrees with a slightly warmer wet season and a slightly cooler dry season.
The Galapagos are known for the high number of animals and plants found there and nowhere else on earth. About 80% of the land birds, 97% of the reptiles and land mammals, more than 30% of the plants, and 20% of the marine species in the Galapagos are unique to the islands.
The Galapagos have experienced relatively little human contact so the animals there live essentially as they always have. Favorites include the giant Galapagos tortoises, the marine iguanas, the flightless cormorants, and the Galapagos penguins – the only penguin species found in the Northern Hemisphere.
The islands are a part of Ecuador which has made them a national park in order to preserve this unique place for future visitors and for scientific study. Visitors are only allowed on prearranged tours with certified Galapagos guides
.
