An expedition of the Galapagos National Park discovered in a coastal area of ​​Santa Cruz Island a new breeding area for hammerhead sharks, an endangered species. This was informed by the Galapagos National Park Authorities, responsible for monitoring the fragile ecosystem of this archipelago located off the continental shore of Ecuador.

This event constitutes “the finding of an important seedbed for the protection of a highly threatened species,” added the Park Authority. The park ranger responsible for the expedition said that in this sector “approximately twenty hammerheads, between neonates and juveniles, were counted”. “Five of them were scored with internal and external identification devices for follow-up and subsequent studies, which provide an opportunity to recover these species through actions and management measures in order to protect these ecosystems.”

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the hammerhead shark is on its Red List in the category of “Endangered” species due to its slow growth and low reproductive capacity.

And the fact is that the presence of underwater mountain ranges and outcrops of nutrients caused by the Cromwell Current generates an abundance of plankton around the Galapagos, which sustains the massive presence of marine fauna, particularly of species difficult to observe in other parts of the world such as whales, sharks and sea turtles.

The Galapagos Islands, which were declared in 1978 as a Natural Heritage Site, owe their name to the large turtles that inhabit the archipelago. Its land and marine reserves, covering an area of ​​138,000 square kilometers, contain a rich biodiversity, considered a natural laboratory that allowed British scientist Charles Darwin to develop his theory on the evolution and natural selection of species.

Source: www.elcomercio.com

https://www.elcomercio.com/tendencias/descubren-area-crianza-tiburones-martillo.html