The Impact of Foreign Mosquitoes on the Galapagos Islands

Different mosquito species draw from a variety of sources to get the blood they need for reproduction.  Some species choose mammals preferentially, while others prefer birds or even reptiles – interestingly enough, mosquito species seldom stray from their preferred feeding sources.

However, in the Galapagos Islands, one species of mosquito is exhibiting an unusual new behavior.  The Aedes Taeniorhynchus, or black salt marsh mosquito, has traditionally chosen mammals and birds for feeding.  Now, it has begun to feed on reptiles, particularly the Island’s famed marine iguanas and giant tortoises.

At first, it was thought that these mosquitoes were a new or foreign species that had been artificially introduced to the Galapagos Islands.  In fact, there are two species of mosquitoes found on the Galapagos Islands that have apparently been introduced by humans in recent memory.  Further research, however, has shown that these mosquitoes have actually been there for quite some time – possibly as long as 200,000 years.

Researchers believe that the fact that these black salt marsh mosquitoes have begun to change their feeding habits may be evidence that they are currently undergoing a period of evolutionary change.  The differences between the A. Taeniorhynchus mosquitoes found in the Galapagos and the A. Taeniorhynchus mosquitoes found on the mainland are so vast, that they can almost be classified as different species.  In fact, becoming a new species may be exactly what the Galapagos Island mosquitoes are doing.

The real threat is that with tourism increasing, a new mosquito species could easily be introduced to the Island, one that carries a disease that affects animals – particularly the reptiles or birds for which the Island is famous.  The wildlife of the Galapagos Islands is very isolated and has little resistance to disease.  This means that the introduction of a new disease could have serious and perhaps irreparable consequences, devastating this incredible natural resource.  All it would take is for one mosquito to catch a ride aboard a plane headed for the Galapagos and the remarkable wildlife there could be wiped out forever.

Right now, the government of Ecuador has begun requiring planes flying in to the Galapagos Islands to be treated with insecticides both inside the cabin and hold, and outside the plane as well.  Similar requirements have been suggested for ships, but none have so far been implemented, as many cruise lines are concerned about the cost and logistics associated with these processes.

Presently, researchers believe that the largest mosquito based threat to the Galapagos Islands is from foreign mosquitoes being introduced, rather than changes in the native mosquitoes.  Consequently, they plan to let evolutionary changes in the native mosquito run their natural course.  Hopefully they are right, and the steps the Ecuadorian government is taking to prevent the introduction of foreign mosquitoes will be effective.  Otherwise, the great ecological resource that is the Galapagos Islands could be wiped clean from the map, destroying a fascinating ecosystem that isn’t represented anywhere else in the world.

Among all these places, Ladakh city witnesses the largest number of travelers. The main reasons for such huge bulk of travelers every year are its small accessibility period and the beautiful destinations & scope of adventurous activities in Ladakh.

Ladakh lies in trans-Himalayan district of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Both adventure freaks and culture enthusiasts have greater inclination to travel this wonderful location. The place is famous for its high mountain charm and civilization. The place is strongly influenced by the Tibetans culture and due to the strong influence of the Tibetan culture; the place is also called a ‘Little Tibet.’ More than half the population of Ladakh is constituted of Tibetans people.

In the past, Ladakh was a Buddhist kingdom, but after the partition these regions are controlled by Pakistan and China. The two districts of Ladakh include Leh and Kargil. Besides being the largest town of Ladakh and Leh is also known as the capital of Ladakh. One of the most remarkable features of Ladakh is wide scope of adventurous activities here. Some of the popular adventurous activities of Ladakh include:

TREKKING

Trekking is just the kind of adventure sport that every fun-loving traveler would love. The sports involve lot of fun amid the hilly areas in cool surroundings. Some of popular valleys for trekking in Ladakh include the Zanskar valley trek, Markha Valley trek Lamayuru-Padum Valley Trek and Indus Valley Trek. The traditional trekking season extends from early June to mid-October.

RIVER RAFTING

The place is an ultimate spot for river rafting. The place offers wide range rafting option on the Indus and its main branches. However, the best option for white water is between Spituk and Saspol on the Indus. But, it should be noted that this water sport require special skill and the rafter need to be expert before trying hands in this adventure freak. A satisfactory arrangement for rescue coverage is an important pre- requisite for embarking upon a white-water expedition on a river like Zanskar.

MOUNTAINEERING

The walking, hiking, backpacking and climbing on mountains all comes under mountaineering. Generally the climbing season starts from mid-May and exists till mid-October. However, the most appropriate period for mountain climbing in Ladakh is from June to September as this is the time when Ladakh remains unaffected by the monsoon. However all foreign expeditions are required to get permission from the Indian Mountaineering Foundation for climbing all listed peaks.

Now, you must be thinking of exploring all these wonderful adventurous sports option. For this you need a well-organized travel agency to arrange a systematic tour for you. There are several travel agency who arrange meticulous tours for India, but you should bank upon an experienced and Government approved travel agency to avoid getting into any sort of problematic situation.

Sea turtles constitute a single radiation that was distinct from all other turtles during the Late Cretaceous Period, the “age of dinosaurs”, at least 100 million years ago. It’s hard to imagine that approximately 65 million years ago during the Cretaceous–Tertiary Extinction Event (KT Mass Extinction), the planet endured catastrophic events such as massive asteroid impacts and/or tremendous volcanic activity resulting in significant climate changes affecting all of the Earth’s plant and animal life. Sea turtles were among the few species to survive these traumatic events and related climate changes.

Today, there are only seven living species of sea turtles worldwide and members of five or six of these species manage to visit Vallarta annually. Six of the seven species have hard shells and only one has a soft shell; it’s the leatherback turtle, the largest of them all and a periodic visitor to Vallarta. The leatherbacks grow for 30 years, from hatchlings weighing about an ounce, to maturity weighing up to 1,300 pounds and measuring up to 7 feet long and 5 feet wide; they can live to be more than 80 years old.

Although sea turtles representing most of the species visit Vallarta, the majority of them are of the Olive Ridley species. They are much smaller than the leatherbacks, measuring less than 3 feet long and weighing just a little over 100 pounds with dark olive green heart shaped domed shells.

The Olive Ridley turtles hatch from their eggs weighing less than an ounce, crawl out of their buried nest clawing their way up to the surface of the sand, and then head directly to the water to begin life with approximately 100 siblings at their side. They are quite fortunate if they ever make it to the water; if certain predators (including thoughtless humans) don’t get them while they are still in the shell, many other predators such as crabs and birds are anxiously awaiting their journey across the beach to the water’s edge. Of course, as soon as these tiny delicious morsels hit the water, any fish in the area immediately welcome them as dinner! Consequently, a very small percentage of these infant sea turtles ever make it out to the open sea.

Of the few fortunate sea turtles that do survive their entrance into this cruel world, growing to maturity, which will take more than 15 years, is a formidable task. If certain fish do not get them during their first year of life, fishermen with long lines or nets are apt to accidentally catch them at any time during their maturing process, let alone at any time during their adult life. With the odds of survival stacked so heavily against the sea turtles, they are now considered to be either a threatened or an endangered species; the Olive Ridleys along the Mexican Pacific coastline are classified as an endangered species by the fisheries division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Okay, now that we know a little about these prehistoric air breathing reptiles, what is it that makes them so incredibly intelligent? Well, first you have to give them credit for surviving throughout history while almost all other forms of life didn’t! Second, they were perhaps the first creatures to have global positioning systems (GPS)! Yes, 100 million years before we mere mortals invented the GPS, the sea turtles, with their high sensitivity to the Earth’s magnetic field, always knew where they were relative to where they were born. Just imagine, these prehistoric creatures are able to swim a couple thousand miles out to sea, enjoy life floating and swimming around in the open water for up to 80 years while never losing their bearings, and still remember exactly where they were born!

Because of their incredible ability to always know their own location, upon reaching maturity at the age of 15 years or older, the females that are ready to lay their eggs always return to the sandy beach where they were born. Consequently, for about five months every year, the beaches of Puerto Vallarta are home to hundreds of female sea turtles that come ashore to nest. These are the same females that hatched on the same beautiful beaches from 15 to 50 years ago! Thus, with a lot of luck, and today with much assistance, a new generation of sea turtles begins.

In certain areas along the Pacific coastline of Mexico, the Olive Ridley sea turtles invade the shore in “arribadas” of 100 or more at a time, however in Puerto Vallarta they are generally either alone or in very small groups scattered thinly over the beach. Because of their scarcity, their homecoming to the local beaches has become a significant tourist attraction for visitors to Vallarta. More importantly, today there is a small group of volunteer conservationists, the Western Ecological Society, in Vallarta that does everything possible to protect these endangered animals. This group was first organized in 1993 and since then has done everything possible to see that the eggs and hatchlings are protected from all predators, thus giving the next generation of sea turtles a much better chance of survival. For those of you interested in knowing more about their activities, you can visit their website at Vallarta Nature and see a documentary video of local volunteers protecting turtles produced by Puerto Vallarta based Aviana Productions at Protecting Turtles.

In some respects, the intelligent sea turtles of Vallarta think in a manner similar to that of the smarter tourists that visit Vallarta; once they’ve been here, they continue returning! So, if you’ve never visited this magnificent Banderas Bay region of Mexico, perhaps it’s time you consider it. Not only will you see and do everything imaginable under ideal weather conditions in a region that can only be defined as Paradise, but from June through December, you’ll also be able to observe the nesting habits of these prehistoric sea turtles with their built in GPS and long distance navigation systems.

Picture yourself sitting in one of the many beachfront restaurants sipping a margarita after watching a glorious sunset as the main attraction, the highlight of the evening, begins; a handful of huge lumbering female sea turtles literally emerge from the water and crawl up the beach in front of your eyes in search for their nesting location. Although it’s usually too dark for filming, witnessing a sea turtle invasion is a sight that you’ll surely not soon forget!