The Galápagos Islands are a paradise for birders, botanists, geologists, and snorkelers, with many islands still devoid of human habitation. As they lie more than 600 miles west of South America and were never connected to the mainland, almost all plant and animal life arrived here by chance. As Charles Darwin discovered, the evolution of plants and animals is more visible here than anywhere else on Earth. John Kricher, a renowned ecologist and Galápagos ecotour guide, presents a detailed natural history of this spectacular archipelago. He looks at the amazing diversity of life found here, from flamingos to penguins, and explains the fascinating geology of these remote islands. Throughout his narrative, Kricher weaves the intriguing history of evolutionary biology that is intimately connected with the islands, and describes Darwin's adventures and observations while he was visiting the islands in 1835. Indeed, Kricher takes his chapter titles from comments scattered throughout Darwin's account of his expedition around the world, The Voyage of the Beagle. Kricher closes his book by assessing the conservation efforts and challenges to preserve the Galápagos. Also included is an island-by-island guide explaining exactly what you will find on the various islands. For both the ecotraveler and the nature enthusiast, Galápagos is essential reading.
I am a Professor of Biology at Wheaton College, Norton, Massachusetts. A graduate of Temple (B.A.) and Rutgers Universities (Ph.D.), I teach courses in ecology, ornithology, and vertebrate evolution.
I have conducted Earthwatch-sponsored research on migrant birds on their wintering grounds in Belize and I am the author of over 100 papers and articles in scientific journals, magazines, and newspapers. My most recent book, The Balance of Nature: Ecology's Enduring Myth, was published by Princeton University Press in spring of 2009. I have also authored Galapagos: A Natural History, published in hard-cover by Smithsonian Institution Press in 2002 and in soft-cover by Princeton University Press in 2006. Other books include A Neotropical Companion, and three ecology field guides (Eastern Forests, Rocky Mountain and Southwestern Forests, California and Pacific Northwest Forests) in the Peterson series. I have also done two recorded lecture series, one on dinosaurs and one on ecology, published by Modern Scholar. I have even authored coloring books and first guides on various aspects of nature ranging from dinosaurs to seashores.
My current writing project is a comprehensive book on Tropical Ecology to be published by Princeton University Press in 2011.
I am a Fellow in the American Ornithologists Union and have served as president of the Association of Field Ornithologists and president of the Wilson Ornithological Society.
I have led numerous trips to many places including Cape May, Block Island, coastal New England, Arizona, the Pacific Northwest, Belize, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Peru, Ecuador, Galapagos Islands, Panama, and Trinidad. I have lectured for Linblad Tours of the Galapagos Islands, for Society Expeditions trips to Venezuela, Brazil, and Indonesia, and for Glacier Bay Cruise Lines in Alaska. My travels have also taken me to Tanzania, Antarctica, and numerous other places where wildlife abounds.
I spend a lot of time writing about where I have been and what I have learned in my travels. I have been an avid birder for just over a half century.
My wife Martha Vaughan and I divide our time between Pocasset, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod and Sunbury, Georgia.
