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Islands that Changed the World

Episode 2 of 3

Natural history series exploring the Galapagos Islands. From flightless cormorants to giant tortoises, a look at the hidden side of Galapagos.

Natural history series exploring the Galapagos Islands, which lie 1,000 kilometres off the coast of South America.

In the early 16th century, the first person in recorded history to set foot on Galapagos, the Bishop of Panama, deemed it a hellish place. He found no water and two of his men and ten of his horses perished.

Through time, this forbidding archipelago became the haunt of pirates and whalers, but as more people came to Galapagos, they began to see it in a whole new light.

In 1835, Charles Darwin's brush with these islands became the catalyst for a revolution that would transform our understanding of life on Earth.

From flightless cormorants hunting underwater to giant tortoises courting on the rim of an active volcano, a look at the hidden side of Galapagos, revealing why it is such a fascinating showcase for evolution.

50 minutes

Last on

Sat 23 Mar 2013 14:50

Credit

Role Contributor
Presenter Tilda Swinton

Broadcasts

  • Tue 17 Oct 2006 01:40
  • Tue 2 Oct 2007 19:00
  • Tue 9 Oct 2007 19:00
  • Wed 22 Oct 2008 20:00
  • Sat 14 Mar 2009 17:10
  • Sat 23 Mar 2013 14:50