Galapagos Islands

A volcano on the largest of the Galapagos Islands began erupting, and authorities were evaluating possible danger to plants and animals. Rangers and tour guides spotted lava flowing down the northeastern flank of the Cerro Azul volcano on the sea-horse-shaped island of Isabela. Park official Oscar Carvajal told Radio Quito that as many as four lava flows "have consumed a lot of vegetation" but did not pose a threat to the famed Galapagos tortoises. No people on the island were in danger.

A few weeks ago, 19 Ecuadorean citizens detained on these world-renowned islands were marched onto a plane and sent back to the continent under armed guard. Their crime? Illegal migration. So far this year, the government has expelled 1,000 of its citizens from the Galapagos -- a living laboratory of unique animal and plant species -- who were there without residency and work permits. It has also "normalized" 2,000 others, in effect giving most of them a year to leave.

Seven pilot whales that came ashore on the Galapagos Islands died despite the efforts of rescuers who dug makeshift pools in the sand to keep them from dehydrating. Five other whales were returned to the ocean. The whales, which are 10 to 30 feet long, came ashore late Saturday on Isabela Island, the largest in the Galapagos chain.

A good man is hard to find -- and for female Galapagos iguanas, the search for the sexiest mate is so exhausting that it may actually threaten their ability to survive, according to a study published Wednesday. Female iguanas on the equatorial island of Santa Fe spend about a month checking out the available males, some of whom maintain almost constant displays of masculine prowess.

The synonym for paradise is Gal?pagos. The definition is an archipelago of 15 islands and dozens of islets in the Pacific, straddling the Equator and belonging to Ecuador, 600 miles east. Never mind the 19th century visit of Charles Darwin and how he began formulating his theory of evolution here. Anyone who comes here will tell you that what really put this place on the map are the sheer wonders that occur when nature is allowed to thrive unspoiled.

Scientists have documented a new species in the Galapagos Islands, the iguana "rosada" (pink in Spanish), which may be one of the archipelago's oldest, according to research published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Blood and genetic tests on 36 pink iguanas -- which reach 3 to 5 feet in length -- show that the lizards belong to a previously undiscovered species that appears to live exclusively around Isabela Island's Wolf Volcano.

Fisherman Luis Enrique Bonilla just wants to make a living. Galapagos Islands conservationists, worried that the marine reserve is overfished, want him to work in tourism. Bonilla and the local fishermen he represents say a move from commercial fishing to boat tours is an expensive and complex prospect for which they have no money or training. They have already made concessions to preserve marine species, each owning only one small boat and using simple lines and lures to catch fish by hand.

Ecuador officials say a volcano is erupting in the Galapagos Islands and could harm unique wildlife. Galapagos National Park officials said La Cumbre volcano began spewing lava, gas and smoke on uninhabited Fernandina Island after four years of inactivity. They said the eruption is not a threat to people living on nearby Isabela Island. But lava flowing to the sea probably will affect marine and terrestrial iguanas, wolves and other fauna. The Galapagos are home to unique species that became the basis for Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.

A volcano spewed ash and lava on Fernandina, one of the ecologically delicate Galapagos Islands, threatening vegetation and some animals, officials said. Washington Tapia, director of Galapagos National Park, said vegetation on uninhabited Fernandina would be burned and some iguanas would die. But he called it "a natural process" that was not cause for worry. Fernandina is the westernmost island in the Galapagos. The volcano has erupted at least 20 times since 1813.

A volcano on the largest of the Galapagos Islands erupted for the third straight day, but experts said it didn't threaten villagers or the huge tortoises that gave the archipelago its name. Oscar Carvajal, chief technician for Galapagos National Park on Isabela island, said tortoises and iguanas were not at risk because the lava flowed down the northeast slopes of the Sierra Negra volcano, where there are no animals.