Española Island

Across the archipelago, there are localised island-specific populations of marine iguanas with very extensive patches, areas of other shades and colour.

Most obviously on Española Island, where they're quite red.

the size variation between islands is if anything more dramatic a large male on some islands could be four or five or more times the weight of an equivalently large male on another island These differences from island to island are so significant and confirmed by genetic studies, that currently as many as 11 distinct, consistent subspecies have been recognised, all within this single archipelago.

We can also cut Darwin some slack for a little factual inaccuracy in what he recorded in that initial diary entry.

And these are words that we use in order not to investigate more deeply.

deeply.I wonder, David, can you tell me about one of those times you experienced the full power of the ocean at a place called Hood Island in the Galapagos?

Oh, that was a near-drowning.

That was quite remarkable, actually.

Um, there was a place on the southern end of, uh, Hood Island where the ocean waves, uh, reach that shoreline from four thousand miles to the south.

They're coming up from the Arctic all the way in what we call the Humboldt Current, which turns into the Southern Equatorial Current that runs up against Hood Island.

You're looking at a, a, a force that's been gathering its strength for four thousand miles.

Yeah.