Imagine spending almost five years sailing around the world, living on a boat the whole time! That is what Charles Darwin did from 1831–1836. He was the naturalist (a person who studies plants and animals by observing them) on board the HMS Beagle. December 27 is the 174th anniversary of the HMS Beagle setting sail from England on its historic trip. At each stop along the way, Darwin explored the area. He filled notebooks with detailed observations and illustrations of plants, animals, and land formations. At the time, no one knew that one of the most important theories in science, the theory of evolution (a theory that explains how living things change over time), would result from the nearly five-year voyage.
One of the places that Darwin found most fascinating was the Galápagos Islands. Formed from volcanoes and often shrouded in thick fog, the islands are near the equator in the Pacific Ocean. Darwin noticed that each island had a slightly different environment. Some were dry and desert-like. Some were wetter. The tortoises (a turtle that lives on land) on each island were also slightly different. Their shells had different shapes. Based on the shape of their shell, the tortoises could reach different heights of leaves to eat.
Darwin also noticed that the finches (group of small songbirds) were different depending on the island. For example, they had beaks of different sizes and shapes. Darwin observed that the finches ate different food, such as smaller seeds or larger seeds, insects, or fruit, based on the size and shape of their beaks. He wondered whether the different environments and food sources on each island affected shell shape in the tortoises and beak shape in the finches. He asked questions about how that would happen.
When Darwin returned home from the voyage, he spent years reviewing his notes, working on his theory. In 1859, he published his book explaining how species change over time due to natural selection (the process where organisms with traits that help them survive and reproduce pass those traits to their offspring).
Today, the Galápagos Islands are home to the Charles Darwin Research Station and are considered a living laboratory for scientists studying evolution
What Do You Think? What plants and animals can you observe in your area?
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