Book Review - Galápagos: A Natural History - Princeton University Press

 

     I received two books on Galápagos from Princeton University Press at the same time, the Tui De Roy bird guide reviewed in my last post, and this comprehensive tome on the entire natural history of the island archipelago.

     Both are outstanding.

     John Kricher and Kevin Loughlin have a depth of experience and knowledge of Galápagos that is hard to beat. The book is written in an easily readable style, yet does not lack in scholarship for all that. It is even whimsical at times. Who could fail to appreciate the delicious image of a Marine Iguana expelling salt as being attired with "a kind of cephalic margarita-like decoration"?

     Throughout its almost 500 pages the book delivers all that you could possibly wish to know, with suggestions for further reading when a more in-depth investigation is warranted.

     In fact, it covers not only the natural history of the "Enchanted Isles" but its human history too, most of which has not been benevolent, with some species driven to extinction by anthropogenic rapaciousness.         Kricher came up with the wonderful notion of titling each chapter with a quote from Charles Darwin, the single personage most indeliby associated with Galápagos. The first chapter introduces us to Darwin's well-known comment that "Nothing could be less inviting." The barren lava fields and arid islands lacking in vegetation did nothing to incite his affection.

     But each island is unique in terms of its vegetation and vertebrate (and other) species, and the magic lies behind the first impression.

     Early buccaneers had found the archipelago a rich source of protein and the populations of giant tortoises were depleted in short order. The very confiding nature of Galápagos animals was their downfall, never having been exposed to human slaughter, greed and wanton indifference to other species. They have not lost this appealing characteristic, a source of delight for visitors; fortunately they are now protected and contemporary tourists seek to respect and enjoy wildlife, not to exploit it.

          Kricher covers the evolutionary forces that have shaped the wildlife of Galápagos, and devotes 29 pages to the birds known as Darwin's Finches and their central role in the understanding of ancestry and divergence, with due recognition to the seminal research of Peter and Rosemary Grant on Daphne Major. 

     The seas around Galápagos are critical to the survival of species such as Flightless Cormorant, Galápagos Penguin, Marine Iguana and others, yet even in this remote area of the vast ocean, plastic pollution is a huge concern. "Dimethyl sulphide, and related chemicals are detectable by seabirds and are used as signals that food is available." Plastic wastes emit the same odour and birds are tricked into devouring plastic. The Waved Albatross "is considered critically endangered because of the increased risk from fishing boats, oceanic trash and potential climate change bringing more frequent severe El Niño events." 

     I am enjoined by potential copyright infringement from reproducing pictures in the book, but page 368 depicts shocking images of small islands of floating plastic bottles tossed overboard from boats illegally fishing in the waters aound the archipelago. Laws are only as good as the ability and the will to enforce them.

     The book concludes with an island-by-island tour so that a visitor knows what to expect, and how to maximize the experience of a lifetime. If you are a birder, for example, make sure that your tour includes Genovesa.

Irritants:

 

     It is with some sadness that I find ever more frequently of late that books are inadequately edited and typographical mistakes and factual errors are more common than they should be. Is the function of an editor less rigorous than it used to be? I don't know.

P. 141 In the first paragraph the noun "breath" is used twice when the verb "breathe" should have been.

P. 217 The genus Phoebrastria is not italicized as it should be. The specific epithet irrorata is correct.

P. 220 "Seabirds such as albatross have long and narrow w is the most critical for producing lift." Given the context of the discussion I know what is meant but the sentence is both confusing and incomplete.

P. 243 The author refers to impressive shorebird journeys as "long migratory perambulations." Perambulation means to go for a walk. Perhaps peregrination is the word that should have been used. The same incorrect use of perambulation is found on page 248.

P. 268 On the fifth line from the bottom Setophaga aestiva is not italicized whereas in the same paragraph further down it is. The scientific name for Mangrove Warbler is shown as Setophaga pechia; it should be Setophaga petechia.

     There is another egregious error too, but unfortunately I omitted to note the page number. I can't remember whether it concerns style or facts, and it would be unchivalrous of me to re-read the whole book merely to find it.

     Despite sloppy editing, this is a wonderful book, well conceived and brimming with information. There is a good deal of concern that visits to Galápagos should be restricted and possibly curtailed entirely. I have mixed feelings about this; people will only love what they know, and we need international advocacy for these unique islands. Science should always triumph over politics and a strong corps of advocates may be all that stands between unrestricted fishing, increased population and other ills associated with  burgeoning humanity and its excesses.

    If you are fortunate enough to enjoy a visit to this mythical place take this book with you. It will tell you all that you need to know.

Galápagos: A Natural History Second Edition

John C. Kricher and Kevin Loughlin

US$39.95 - ISBN: 9780691217246 

496 pages - 5.875 x 8.25 inches (14.69 x 20.63 cm)

665 colour illustrations and seven black-and-white illustrations - 4 maps

Publication date: 29 November, 2022