It is well known that the introduction of alien species by humans has been responsible for a long list of extinctions on islands. Enhancing methods of pooling information on effectively reducing these human-caused treats to island populations can’t come soon enough.
Both species represented in this painting are at risk. The Espanola Mockingbird (Mimus macdonaldi) is classified as Vulnerable. The egg represents a Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas), which is Endangered.
Espanola Island is the only place in the world where this Mockingbird occurs, and Galapagos is the only significant nesting area for this population of Green Turtles outside Mexico. What was most tragic about observing this scene was not the Mockingbird capitalizing on a rotten, exposed egg, but that the egg was exposed at all.
The nests of both the bird and the turtle are vulnerable to the same terrestrial threats.
Today, three of the four species of Galapagos Mockingbirds are at risk. Sadly, the extirpation of the Floreana Mockingbird (M. trifasciatus) from Floreana Island, restricting it to two small adjacent islets, was a direct result of nest predation from introduced feral cats and rats. The nest that sheltered this turtle egg was probably exposed by a one of their brethren, as well.
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