2013-03-27 
每年三月底或四月初，耶稣受难日与复活节相连，北宾夕法尼亚“山林”州学区便放三天春假——从星期四到星期一，满打满算大半个礼拜。坦率讲，我做梦也没想到，适龄青少年可以这般向春天讨价。在国内，我从未经历春假；来美后虽早有耳闻——墨西哥坎昆“蛇巢”是女生的圣地，佛罗里达“花”州代托纳“白日镇”海滩是男生的天堂——自己却疲于奔命，从未赶上时髦。直到三年前娃儿首次提议春游踏青，我才真正把春假纳入日程。“天地转，光阴迫。一万年太久，只争朝夕。”何不大人小孩一块过把瘾？ 我想起大学初读达尔文“亲爱的朋友”时，《物种起源》始发地加拉帕戈斯“巨龟”群岛曾是我心中的向往。如夏威夷之于美国，复活节岛之于智利，加拉帕戈斯是厄瓜多尔的太平洋明珠。我决定追随178年前达尔文的足迹——了解濒危生物习性，也为当地生态保护做点经济贡献。加拉帕戈斯由19个火山岛和42个岩礁组成，距大陆1,000公里/621英里，地处洪堡“山谷”、巴拿马“多鱼之地”与厄尔尼诺“圣婴”三大洋流交汇处，赤道穿行其中，素有海洋生物大熔炉之称。鬣蜥、达尔文雀、弱翅鸬鹚、加拉帕戈斯企鹅、巨龟、海狮——举世无双，且极易相见。这里只分雨季与旱季。雨季水温宜人，适合潜水；旱季海鸟成群，弱肉强食，场面壮阔。自1978年载入联合国科教文组织《世界遗产名录》后，游客虽增但受控。岛上的机场容量有限，须经基多“第五”或瓜亚基尔“美地”转小飞机——后者需耗八小时候机，远超实际飞行。 精心策划三年后，我们整装待发。临行前夜，娃儿把那只临别时塞进行李箱的毛绒鬣蜥又拿了出来，在我面前晃了晃，说它要先适应一下家乡的气味。我看着他把它重新放回背包里，心里暗暗希望，在不久的将来，这片岛屿也会用它独特的方式，证明自己不仅存在于达尔文的笔记里，也存在于我们此行即将形成的记忆里。那些在教科书里读过无数遍的名字，即将变成脚下的土地、眼前的海水，和指缝间漏下的阳光。而这样的出发，已经比任何到达，都更接近旅行的核心。  Aerial View of Quito, the Equatorial Capital
(鸟瞰基多·赤道首都)  Daphne Major, Served as an Ideal Site for Evolution Research as the Finches w/ Few Predators or Competitors
(大达芙妮“月桂树”岛·由于雀类的捕食者或竞争对手很少，因此成为进化研究的理想场所)  Daphne Minor，a Haven for a Diverse Array of Bird & Marine Life
(小达芙妮岛·各种鸟类和海洋生物的避难所)  Bartolomé Island, w/ Its Pinnacle Rock, a Distinctive Volcanic Plug Jutting out over Sullivan Bay
(巴托洛梅“犁地者之子”岛·拥有独特火山栓的尖峰岩，突出于沙利文“黑眼睛”湾之上)
 Golden Cownose Ray (金牛鼻魟)
 Razor Surgeonfish (侧棒多板盾尾鱼)
 Whimbrels (中杓鹬)
Galápagos Oystercatchers (加拉帕戈斯蛎鹬)  Female Great Frigatebird (雌大军舰鸟)
 Male Great Frigatebird in Flight
(飞行的雄大军舰鸟)  Male Great Frigate w/ Feathers on Gular Sac
(雄大军舰鸟·喉囊上带有羽毛)  Galápagos Lava Lizard Capable of Tail Detachment as a Defense Mechanism
(加拉帕戈斯熔岩蜥·具有断尾求生防御机制)  Lava Lizard, Behaved w/ Rapid Head Bobbing & Push-up Stances
(熔岩蜥行为模式·快速点头和俯卧撑姿势) 
Darwin's Finch, a Symbol of Natural Selection & Adaptation (达尔文雀·自然选择和适应的象征) 
Chatham Mockingbird, an Endemic Species to San Cristóbal Island in the Galápagos (查塔姆“林中家园”仿生鸟·加拉帕戈斯群岛圣克里斯托瓦尔“基督的承载者”岛的特有物种) 
Galápagos Mockingbird w/ Inquisitiveness (好奇心旺盛的加拉帕戈斯仿生鸟) 
Mockingbird in Flight (仿生鸟疾飞)
Large Ground Finch w/ a Classic Example of Adaptive Radiation (大嘴地雀·适应性辐射的典范) 
Large Ground Finch, the Largest of Darwin's Finches, Both in Overall Size & Beak Size (大嘴地雀·最大的达尔文雀)  Galápagos Flycatcher (加拉帕戈斯霸鹟)
 Galápagos Brown Pelicans, a Living Symbol of How Successful Wildlife Conservation Can Be
(加拉帕戈斯褐鹈鹕·野生动物保护成功的鲜活象征)  Brown Pelican in Flight (飞行的棕鹈鹕)
Galápagos Penguin, the Only Penguin Species to Live near the Equator (加拉帕戈斯企鹅·唯一生活在赤道附近的企鹅物种)  Flightless Cormorant, the Only Cormorant Species Unable to Fly
(弱翅鸬鹚·唯一不会飞的鸬鹚物种) 
Flightless Cormorant w/ Adaptations for Diving (弱翅鸬鹚·适应潜水)  Galápagos Flamingo, the Only Time to Gather While Mating & Migrating
(加拉帕戈斯火烈鸟·唯有交配和迁徙时才聚众扎堆)
Great Blue Heron, a Symbol of Good Luck & Prosperity (大蓝鹭·好运和繁荣的象征)  Lava Seagull, the Rarest Gull in the World
(熔岩海鸥·世上最稀有的鸥类) 
Lava Heron, an Endemic to the Galápagos Islands (熔岩苍鹭·加拉帕戈斯特有鹭类) 
Lava Heron w/ Its Wonderful Camouflage (熔岩苍鹭·拥有出色的伪装能力)
 Yellow-Crowned Night Heron, Crab Specialist
(黄顶夜鹭·捕蟹专家)  Galápagos Dove, a Ground-Dweller & Crucial Cactus Pollinator
(加拉帕戈斯哀鸽·地栖动物，重要的仙人掌传粉者)  Blue-Footed Booby, Distinctive Coloring in Neck, Head, & Beak
(蓝脚鲣鸟·脖子头部和喙颜色各有不同)  Blue-footed Booby, the Brightness of the Feet Decreases w/ Age
(蓝脚鲣鸟·脚的亮度会随着年龄的增长而降低) 
Blue-Footed Booby, a Symbol of Creativity & Dreaming (蓝脚鲣鸟·象征创造力和梦想)  Lava Gull in Flight (飞行的熔岩鸥)
 Lava Gull, the Rarest on Earth
(熔岩鸥·世上最罕见的海鸥) 
Mom Lava Gull & Chick (熔岩鸥妈与幼雏)  Lava Gull Juvenile (小熔岩鸥)
 Galápagos Sea Lions, Females Exclusively Nurse Their Own Pups
(加拉帕戈斯海狮·母海狗拒绝喂养非自生的孩子)
 Female Fur Seal, Bearing Only One Pup @ a Time
(母海狗一次只生一崽)  Fur Seal Pup (小海狗)
 Mother & Pup Fur Seals Cuddled up Sleeping
(海狗母仔相拥而睡)
 Fur Sea Lions w/ Its Preference for Rocky, Sheltered Coastline
(海狗·对岩石密布、避风的海岸线情有独钟)  Green Sea Turtle & Fur Seal (绿海龟与海狗)
 Green Sea Turtle (绿海龟)
 Galapagos Giant Tortoise (加拉帕戈斯象龟)
 Floreana Giant Tortoise (弗洛雷纳“花朵”岛巨龟)
 Marine Iguana, Salt Sneezed out of Its Nose
(海鬣蜥·靠打喷嚏将多余盐分由鼻子排出体外)  Marine Iguana, the Imp of Darkness
(海鬣蜥·黑暗顽童)  Marine Iguanas, the World's Only Lizard Species Foraged in the Ocean
(海鬣蜥·世上唯一一种在海洋中觅食的蜥蜴)  Marine Iguana Described by Charles Darwin in 1835 as a "Hideous Looking Creature, of a Dirty Black Colour, Stupid, and Sluggish"
(海鬣蜥·1835年达尔文描述为“丑陋的生物，颜色肮脏、黑色，愚蠢而迟钝”) 
Marine Iguana, Mythical Explorer of the Galápagos Islands (海鬣蜥·加拉帕戈斯的神秘探险家)  Green Iguanas w/ the Ability to Detach Their Tail as a Defense Mechanism
(绿鬣蜥·具有脱落尾巴作为防御机制的能力)  Land Iguana, Heat-Absorbed from Sunbath on Volcanic Rock & Heat-Conserved in Burrows from Sleep at Night
(陆鬣蜥·白天在火山岩上晒太阳取暖，晚上在洞穴里睡觉以保留身体热量)  Land Iguana, Primarily Herbivorous
(陆鬣蜥·食草为主)
 Sally Lightfoot Crabs, Featuring Unique Relationship w/ Marine Iguanas by Eating Parasites & Ticks off Their Skin
(莎莉“公主”轻足蟹与海鬣蜥独特的共生关系·吃海鬣蜥皮肤上的寄生虫和蜱虫)  Sally Lightfoot Crab, a Ubiquitous Scavenger
(莎莉轻足蟹·无处不在的清道夫)  Sally Lightfoot Crab Cleaning up the Galápagos' Coastal Ecosystem
(莎莉轻足蟹·清洁加拉帕戈斯群岛的沿海生态体系)  Galápagos Ghost Crab, the Painted Ghost Crab, or Cart Driver Crab
(鬼蟹·彩绘幽灵蟹或车夫蟹)
 Nerita Snail, Gregarious Herbivore
(海螺·群居食草动物) 
Western Spotted Orbweaver (西斑圆蛛)  Monarch Caterpillar (斑蝶毛毛虫)
Crosslinks(相关博文): Ecuador(出游厄瓜多尔)
South America(漂流南美洲) 小学四年级(4th Grade) |
