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| Animals | Plants | Environment | |||||||
(Wikipedia Creative Commons)
The Daphne Major Environment
The Island: The island Daphne Major, in the Galápagos, is a very very small island. (Because the populations of plants and birds are small, scientists can keep track of almost all living things that are there.) Daphne major is 1/8 square mile. You could walk around the edge of the entire island in about an hour.
The Ecosystem: No people live on the island (except for the scientists who visit to study this ecosystem). The island is rocky and has two craters in the center. The climate on the island is very dry. There are no trees, but there are some other plants that can thrive in a dry climate. Along with some insects, the main animals present on the island are several types of finches, along with occasional owls and hawks.
The Climate: The Galápagos Islands have a hot, wet season usually lasting from January through May, and a cooler, dry season from about June through December. Heavy rains during the wet season bring 90% of rainfall that falls on the island each year. The dry season sometimes has light, misty precipitation that brings only a small amount of water to the island in those months.
(Photo, Mary Hughes)
