Scientists to Count Pink Iguanas in Galapagos Archipelago for First Time

Varieties

August 7th, 7:14am

Quito, London - Asharq Al-Awsat

Iguanas on the Galapagos islands. (AFP)

The Galapagos National Park (PNG) announced that a scientific expedition plans to count pink iguanas, a species that live around the Wolf Volcano, in the Galapagos archipelago the first time. Over 10 days, around 30 scientists and park rangers will wander in the park, where live the pink iguanas around the Wolf Volcano, in the Isabella Island (the biggest in the Galapagos), to count the rare reptiles, said PNG on its Facebook page. Scientists mentioned these reptiles, which spread over 25 square meters only in the archipelago, one time in 2009. Former studies suggest that 350 pink iguanas live there. "No births have been registered so far," Washington Tapia, director of the US NGO Galapagos Conservancy responsible of the expedition, told AFP. This expedition aims at "understanding the real status of iguanas and setting plan to conserve them," said Tapia, noting that scientists are also looking for "hybrid tortoises that could contribute to the conservation efforts." In 2020, a team of researchers found a giant female tortoise in the Wolf Volcano area. It belonged to the Chelonoidis abingdonii family that once lived in the Pinta Island. The famous male tortoise Lonesome George, which died in 2012 for refusing to mate with female tortoises from other species, belonged to this family. Giant tortoises have settled in the Galapagos archipelago, located 1,000 km from the Ecuador Coast, before 3 to 4 million years ago. These reptiles were among the species that Charles Darwin focused on to enhance his theory of evolution. The Galapagos archipelago, featured on the UNESCO World Heritage List, is a global reserve known for its unique fauna and flora.

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