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Fernandina Island is the third biggest
and also the youngest
island of the Galapagos being
approximately 700,000 years old. It is almost circular and about 21 miles
across at its widest. The highest point is 4,900 feet (1,494 meters) and its land
area is 248 square miles (642 square kilometers).
The island is comprised of a single huge active volcano, making
Fernandina one of the most
volcanically active islands. Eruptions occur every few years and it
is exciting to see how the landscape and life on Fernandina changes.
In 1968, the caldera (the upside-down soup bowl top) dropped over
1000 feet in 2 weeks. Visiting the island gives us a surreal feeling
as with all the eruptions and the newness of the island, it feels as
you've reached the end of the world.
The island was named in 1832 after King Ferdinand II of Spain. The
English named it Narborough after Admiral Sir John Narborough.
Punta Espinosa is
a narrow stretch of land where some of the most unique Galapagos
species can be seen. While the panga driver skillfully eludes the
reef to reach the landing site near a small mangrove forest,
penguins throw themselves off the rocks into the water. Sally
Lightfoot crabs disperse on the lava near the shore and herons and
sandpipers explore the mangrove roots. Marine iguanas conglomerate
in larger groups than in any other island. They are everywhere:
basking in the sand, swimming near the shore, grazing on the exposed
seaweed in the lava and blocking the way at the landing dock. This
is one of the few places where there is the opportunity, of watching
the iguanas feed underwater.
Following the trail inland, two different types of lava flows can be
seen and compared: an AA lava flow and a Pahoehoe lava flow. At the
tip of one of the small peninsulas, flightless cormorants are found.
These birds are flightless because on the islands they had no
predators and it was easier to find food in the ocean than on
land. They progressively evolved for swimming rather than for
flight. To see these fantastic birds, with their long, serpent-like
necks arched forward, their wet, fur-like plumage and their bright
turquoise eyes is to witness evolution.
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