Pinzón Island

Pinzón Island, sometimes called Duncan Island (after Adam Duncan, 1st Viscount Duncan), is an island in the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador.[1]

Pinzón Island
Pinzón Island
Geography
LocationGalápagos Islands, Ecuador
Coordinates0.610236°S 90.666234°W / -0.610236; -90.666234
ArchipelagoGalápagos Islands
Highest elevation458 m (1503 ft)
Administration

Pinzón is home to giant Galápagos tortoises of the endemic subspecies Chelonoidis duncanensis, Galápagos sea lions and other endemic species. It has no visitor facilities and a permit is required to visit.

It has an area of 18 km2 and a maximum altitude of 458 meters.

Pinzón marks the geographical center of the Galápagos Islands, but neither of the two main Galápagos tree species are present. In the humid zone a unique species of daisy tree is found.

Restoration

During January 2012, invasive rodents were removed from the island by The Galápagos National Park, assisted by Island Conservation to benefit the Pinzón Giant Tortoise.[2] An infestation of non-native rats began in the mid 18th century with the arrival of European sailors. The rats devastated the tortoise population by eating their eggs and young hatchlings that were too small to defend themselves. In December 2014, after 100 years the first new generation of tortoise hatchlings were spotted on Pinzón.[3]

[4] [5] [6]

References
  1. "Pinzón". Galapagos Conservancy. galapagos.org. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
  2. "Back from the Brink of Extinction". Retrieved 6 November 2018.
  3. Aguilera, Washington Tapia; Málaga, Jeffreys; Gibbs, James P. (2015). "Giant tortoises hatch on Galapagos island". Nature. 517 (7534): 271–271. doi:10.1038/517271a. ISSN 0028-0836.
  4. Henry Nicholls. "When the rats are away, Galápagos tortoises can play". the Guardian.
  5. "Once Extinct in the Wild, Galapagos Giant Tortoises Return to Pinzon Island". Scientific American.
  6. Stephen Messenger. "Baby Tortoises Found On Galápagos Island For First Time In Over 100 Years". The Dodo.
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