Description of Daphne island
Daphne Island is a small uninhabited island located about 18 miles northwest of Baltra Island. This island is famous for its spectacular scenery, seabird colonies and numerous endemic species. Daphne Island is actually divided into two parts: Daphne Major and Daphne Minor. Daphne Major is the largest and is about 0.86 mile long. It has an almost circular shape and reaches an altitude of about 120 meters. The island is an important place for the scientific study of marine birds. Several species have established colonies here, including frigatebirds, blue-footed boobies and masked boobies. Visitors can observe these birds from the cruise boats that sail around the island, but it is not possible to land on the island itself. Daphne Island is also an important site for the study of evolution. In 1977, biologists Peter and Rosemary Grant began a long-term study of Galapagos finch beaks on Daphne Major Island, which provided important evidence for Darwin's theory of evolution. This study is still ongoing and scientists continue to study the impact of climate change on Galapagos finch populations.