Bonus: An educational post devoted to introduced predators of the giant tortoise

Are you unable to get your mind off giant tortoises? Well, we likely won't mention them further so for those of you interested in a bit more information about some of the dangers they face, we thought we would post a quick entry using educational material from the Isabela visitor centre.

Pirates have a pretty bad rep in the Galapagos. In fact, according to many conservation officials on the islands, pirates are responsible for just about everything currently wrong with the Galapagos. As if introducing all the vermin to the islands wasn't enough, pirates (as well as their whaler and sailor friends) developed a keen taste for giant tortoise meat. Even if the 'pirates' didn't like tortoise meat they would likely still take the time to capture one for their ship because giant tortoises are remarkably able to go without food or water for up to a year, and therefore act as a very good protein insurance policy...

If it were not for pirates the Galapagos would be a much different place today!