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The Beagle Set Sail
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Darwin's First Theory
While on the Cape Verde Islands, Darwin came across quite a few ocean fossils (including oyster shells, sea snails, and other hard shelled invertebrates). Being inland, it rose the question of how these creatures came to be where they were. This lead him to the idea/theory that the land was rising and falling in different areas. He just wasn't quite sure how or why this was happening. -
Fossil hunting
During this time, Darwin became a true fossil hunter in Bahia Blanca. It became his passion. During his hunts here, he found cow-sized armadillos, giant sloths, and horse-sized (what seemed to be) anteater skulls. -
The Volcano Erupts!
Darwin decided that while he was in South America that he would adventure into the Andes Mountains. This is where Darwin was able to witness Mount Osorno erupt. -
What an Earthquake!
Just over after witnessing the volcano erupt, while in the woods, Darwin experienced the ground shake. It was a huge earthquake and tidal wave that destroyed the city of Concepcion. After walking through the rubble of the city, Darwin noticed the dead mussel beds, laying well above high tide. This solidified his first theory of the earth shifts. -
The Strange Life of the Galapagos Islands
This is where Darwin's research became valuable. Darwin was able to study all the birds and tortoises of the Islands. In his journal, he wrote that there were different species of birds (wrens, "grossbeaks," and finches). The problem was that he didn't collect or label any specimens. Even the locals believed that each island had a different type of tortoise and bird. -
John Gould Helps Out
John Gould was the man who announced that, while Darwin believed that there were all the different types of bird on the Galapagos Islands, that they were actually all ground finches that had adapted to all the different threats on each island. This is when Darwin really started to theorize about evolution (which he called transmutation). -
On the Origin of Species
Charles Darwin lived a really amazing life, but 1859 was when his book about the theory of evolution was finally published, over 20 years after his voyage.
https://youtu.be/w56u2gv8XLs