BY GABRIEL COBO

Invasive Species In The Galapagos Islands

Invasive Species On Galapagos

Name of species

How Introduced

Impact Control

Rats Boats Eat the turtle and Iguanas eggs

The black rat was eradicated in 1976

Pigs Boats They dig up native plants and turtles nest and affect the reproductions of giant tortoises.

They tried to reduce the number by killing some of them.

Goats Boats with pirates in 2000

They’ll eat almost all vegetation except two plants

They tried reducing the number by

Dogs Humans and tourism

They attack cattle in the highlands and kill marine iguanas, they are a danger to the Hawaiian petrel

They have been eradicated from Floreana, San Cristobal, Conway Bay, and two other places.

What are invasive Species?

Invasive Species are when a plant, animal, insect is not native, causing changes in the ecosystem and the environment around them.

Invasive species can change all sort of things like reducing the number of some native species or eating some native plants.

In Galapagos are many invasive species including: dogs, goats, tree frog , etc.

Galapagos Islands

It is located on both sides of the equatorial line, approximately 600 miles west from continental Ecuador.

They wee formed around 4 or 5 million years ago.It has a very diverse environment and is very rich

I fauna and flora. Its climate is very humid and has a hot

temperature making it perfect for animals to live.

Smooth-billed ani (Garapatero)

The smooth- billed ani is a black color bird that has thinner bill and longer wings. The Garapatero can be found in the Galapagos islands and in South Florida, due to its warm and tropical environment. It lives in open lands and usually near water.

The Garapatero tends to fly lower to the ground because has a slow and weak flight.

How was it introduced?

They cant fly for long distances, meaning that the only way that they were introduced is by humans.

The Garapatero is also famous for getting rid of parasites in the animals, this could be another reason why the human decided to export the Garapatero to Galapagos.

They were reported on Isabel 1962

Images

Impact on Galapagos

The Garapatero is larger and more aggressive than the other bird in Galapagos, there has been reports that the Garapatero has killed a few mockingbird and hurt other birds.

It has also hurt the genus Geospiza and Camarhynchus and some lava lizards

How is Galapagos controlling this?

The complete extermination of the smooth-billed ani has not been consider because there is a large amount of them right now.

They also help in some minor ways.It is also important to consider that the are

increasing the number every day, but if they were eradicated it will also affect the environment right now.

Images

Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2F4HBwIgdJM

Bibliography

http://www.galapagos.org/conservation/invasive-species/

http://www.vivatravelguides.com/south-america/ecuador/the-galapagos-islands/galapagos-overview/galapagos-wildlife-guide/land-birds-galapagos/smooth-billed-ani/

http://www.galapagos.gob.ec/sitio.php/nophprg.php?page=parque_nacional_introducidas_garrapateros