Sometime after the volcanic tops of the Galápagos Islands breached the ocean’s surface, reptiles arrived. Scientists theorize that herp species washed out to sea during mainland floods, rode rafts of vegetation on ocean currents, and perhaps splashed up on the islands’ rocky shores. Reptiles not only survived the trip, but for the most part, they thrive on the Galápagos Islands. While only 22 species are indigenous (20 of which are endemic), the islands are a herp hunter’s heaven because of the sheer number, size and fearlessness of the specimens found there.
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