Featured in the New York Times is a seventeen page slide show titled Cloud Forests, Birds, and the Origins of Island Life. Chris Filardi, a biologist at the American Museum of Natural history, traveled to the Solomon Islands in order to study evolution and conservation of the island’s species. Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papau New Guinea, that consists of nearly one thousand islands. The slide show features bits and pieces of his photographs and field notes from the expedition.
Chris Fildardi writes,
“For biologists, islands have always been illuminating places. In part, this reflects both the relative simplicity of island ecosystems and also the richly unique, and sometimes bizarre, turns that life takes on islands – think parrots behaving like big rodents, massive dragonlike lizards and miniature hippos, giant flightless dodo birds and tiny ground-foraging bats.”
So, why not take a break from studying and take yourself on a trip to the Solomon Islands?
The Island of Kolombangara is absolutely beautiful. I loved seeing all the wild life and scenery in the slide show. The species are truly amazing to see and exotic to say the least. Great pick.
An earthquake just hit right off the coast of the Soloman Islands 3 days ago (4/26/11). It was reported to be a 6.9 magnitude at a depth of 81 km. Because it hit 171 km southeast of the capital, there was no visible damage done. That’s what you get along the Ring of Fire!