Charles Darwin is synonymous with the Galápagos Islands. His journey began in 1831 when, at the age of 22, he boarded the HMS Beagle in England as the survey ship’s naturalist. During the five-year circumnavigation expedition, Darwin only visited four Galápagos islands in a five week period in 1835. Yet this was sufficient time for him to notice unique differences among mockingbirds and tortoises. When his finch specimens were later analyzed back in London, it confirmed they were unique species. This experience gave birth to his theory of evolution. His 1859 book, “On the Origin of Species” was considered revolutionary among scientists and heresy by the Church of England.
