I am happy to have learned that there are other people out there other then me worried about these penguins, and these people are actually doing something about it. A group of conservationists have set out to keep this endangered species from dying off. To do this, they have built 120 new homes for the penguins. Usually, the penguins build their nests in shaded areas between rocks or lava tubes. But, their habitat is decreasing and the crevices available for nesting have become limited. Also, predators like cats, dogs, rats, and pigs try to disturb the nests. The penguins need more nesting sites and greater protection from predators for their population to stabilize. The goal of these conservationists is to increase the population of Galápagos penguins by making sure that when conditions are good and not food-challenged, that all of them will be able to breed. The team built 120 new crevices, made from collected lava rocks, in areas isolated from invasive species. They said that the nests were completed just in time because the Warm La Nina currents are expected to make the next months particularly productive for penguin breeding.
Reading this blog made me extremely happy. I hope that they kee up with this and also start doing things like this for other species that are going extinct.
This relates to what we are learning in class because these penguins will have to adapt to the new location of these habitats that the conservationists have built for them.
I'm glad the penguins are getting a new home. It would be sad to see something that has been around for so long go extinct because of adaptation issues.
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