The pink iguana of the Galapagos.
The Ecuadorian Ministry of the Environment and the Galápagos National Park reports that the world’s only colony of pink iguanas, which Charles Darwin observed and studied, was not harmed by the recent eruption of Wolf Volcano on Isabela island.
The volcano is the highest on the Galapagos Archipelago, and erupted Monday. Hot pink-orange lava flowed down its southeastern slope, and many feared that the rare iguana colony and its habitat could be threatened.
Park officials now say the lava missed the iguanas by about 6 kilometers (3.7 miles).
Snip from coverage at Galapagos Digital:
Galapagos Conservancy’s Director of the Giant Tortoise Restoration Initiative, Wacho Tapia, was asked by the Galapagos National Park Directorate and the Governing Council of Galapagos to participate in their overflight of Wolf Volcano during its eruption on May 26, 2015. On the Conservancy’s website, Tapia reported on his observations:
“Although impossible to see the source of the lava flow or if there was lava flowing in another direction or into the crater,” Tapia wrote, “we could be certain that so far the eruption was not affecting the areas inhabited by pink iguanas or giant tortoises.”
Previously: “Galapagos volcano erupts after 33 years of silence, threatening species Darwin studied”