Galápagos Islands Trivia Questions

These gentle giants are among the longest-lived animals, with some individuals exceeding 150 years and reaching weights over 880 pounds.

Spanish bishop Tomás de Berlanga accidentally discovered the islands in 1535, over 300 years before Darwin's famous 1835 visit on the Beagle.

They formed over millions of years by a hotspot—a plume of magma—that created separate volcanoes as the tectonic plate moved. They're still volcanically active today.

Galápago is an old Spanish word for saddle, referring to the shape of the tortoises' shells. The islands were named for the tortoises, not the other way around.

While the islands straddle the equator, the cool Humboldt Current keeps their climate surprisingly mild, with average highs around 80°F—not the sweltering heat you'd expect.

Four islands have human settlements, with about 30,000 residents total. Santa Cruz, San Cristóbal, Isabela, and Floreana all host towns.

It's the only penguin that lives in the Northern Hemisphere, thanks to the cool waters of the Humboldt and Cromwell currents around the islands.

When algae is scarce, marine iguanas actually absorb bone tissue, shrinking their skeleton to survive—a rare vertebrate adaptation.