Pinzon Island - Galapagos
 Pinzon is the twelfth biggest island inthe Galapagos, covering 7.0 square miles. It rises to 1,502 feet. Its official name comes from the two brothers who captained Colombus' ships, the Pinta and Niña. The English called it Duncan after a naval admiral. This marks the geographical center of the Galapagos Islands so it is surprising that none of the Galapagos' two main tree species do not occur on the island. In the humid zone a unique species of the daisy tree ( Scalesia sp.) is found. Pinzon supports its own unique race of Galapagos tortoise, which appears to be in good shape despite predation of hatchlings by rats preventing growth of the population. Reintroduction of young tortoises from the breeding program at the Charles Darwin Research Station has resulted in restoration of breeding there and hopefully the continuation of the tortoise for the indefinite future.
|