That’s a type of Darwin’s finch perched atop a giant tortoise on Isabela Island, the largest of the Galápagos Islands. The Galápagos form an archipelago more than 500 miles off the west coast of the South American mainland, and the islands are home to many species found nowhere else on earth. The bird is named, of course, for Charles Darwin, the naturalist who traveled here in 1835. His observations of several finch species and other wildlife endemic to the Galápagos contributed to his theory of natural selection, which he documented in ‘On the Origin of Species,’ a book that’s considered a cornerstone of biology. It was first published on this day in 1859.
The tortoise and the finch
Today in History
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Ready. Set. Snow.
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In celebration of cats
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The artists come to Venice
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Happy Cinco de Mayo!
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A hint of spring
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World Water Day
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Golden larches and Prusik Peak, the Enchantments, Washington
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Winter scenery near Kuhmo, Finland
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There was gold in them there hills…
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Pasadena Chalk Festival supports local arts education
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Spring awakens
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Manatees rebound
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Mysterious prairie mounds abound
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Space-age style by the sea
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Looking down upon Edinburgh
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Preveli Gorge
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International Day of Human Space Flight
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Ljubljana, Slovenia
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Whooper swans in Lake Kussharo, Japan
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J.R.R. Tolkien Day
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A perfect day to fly your flag
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Marseille welcomes the Olympic torch
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Tolkien Reading Day
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200th anniversary of Brazilian independence
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Château de Villandry, France
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Green fields of grain
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Saskatchewan s spookier side
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Fight for your lefts
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Penguin Awareness Day
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Gem State views