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NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORER

(ISSN 1541-3357) is published seven times during the school year—September, October, November–December, January–February, March, April, May—by National Geographic Society, 1145 17th Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20036. Postmaster: Please send address changes to Attn: Explorer Magazine, National Geographic Society, PO Box 291875, Kettering, OH 45429. Periodical postage paid at Washington, D.C., and additional mailing offices.


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DIGITAL CREDITS | COVER: © TUI DE ROY/MINDEN PICTURES. TABLE OF CONTENTS: (BACKGROUND) RALPH LEE HOPKINS/NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC IMAGE COLLECTION; (MAP) ARIDOCEAN/SHUTTERSTOCK; (ISLANDS) JESSE KRAFT/EYEEM/GETTY IMAGES; (PENGUIN) © PETE OXFORD/MINDEN PICTURES; (DARWIN) ENGLISH SCHOOL (20TH CENTURY) /PRIVATE COLLECTION/© LOOK AND LEARN/BRIDGEMAN IMAGES; (GOATS & GIANT TORTOISE) © TUI DE ROY/MINDEN PICTURES. THE GALPAGOS ISLANDS: (BACKGROUND) V_E/SHUTTERSTOCK; (CRAB) © TUI DE ROY/NATUREPL.COM; (MAP) ARIDOCEAN/SHUTTERSTOCK; (SEA LIONS) © BEN HALL/NATUREPL.COM; (MAP) MAPPING SPECIALISTS, LTD; (BIRD) AVALON/PHOTOSHOT LICENSE/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO.

ISLANDS BORN OF FIRE: JESSE KRAFT/EYEEM/GETTY IMAGES; (VOLCANIS AERIAL) MINT IMAGES/SUPERSTOCK; (TECTONIC MAP) PETERHERMESFURIAN/ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS; (HOT SPOT VIDEO) ANIMATION BY: JENDA JOHNSON, EARTH SCIENCES ANIMATED (EXCERPT FROM IRIS'S ANIMATION HTTPS://WWW.IRIS.EDU/HQ/INCLASS/ANIMATION/136); NARRATED BY: LAURA MCCARTHY, AUDIOLINK;FUNDED BY: THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION (SEA LION) IMAGEBROKER/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO; (BIRD) ELMVILLA/E+/GETTY IMAGES; (PRICKLY PEAR CACTUS) DON MAMMOSER/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO; (BEE) © PETE OXFORD/MINDEN PICTURES; (TORTOISE) © TUI DE ROY/MINDEN PICTURES; (CURRENT MAP) NG STAFF; (UPWELLING MAP) NOAA; (ISABELA ISLAND) MICHAEL MELFORD/NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC IMAGE COLLECTION; KUMAR SRISKANDAN/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO; (PERSON & CACTUS PHOTOS) HEMIS/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO. HOME ONLY HERE: (PENGUIN VIDEO) BBC NATURAL HISTORY/BBC CREATIVE/GETTY IMAGES; (BIRD & PENGUIN PHOTOS) © TUI DE ROY/MINDEN PICTURES; (IGUANA) MAURICIO HANDLER/NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC IMAGE COLLECTION; (LAVA CACTUS) © PETE OXFORD/MINDEN PICTURES; (BATFISH) STEPHEN FRINK COLLECTION/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO; (MARINE IGUANA) NATUREPIX/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO; (IGUANA TEETH & SWIMMING IGUANA PHOTOS) © TUI DE ROY/MINDEN PICTURES; (SNEEZING IGUANA VIDEO) AARON POMERANTZ. DARWIN: (ILLUSTRATION) ENGLISH SCHOOL (20TH CENTURY) /PRIVATE COLLECTION/© LOOK AND LEARN/BRIDGEMAN IMAGES; (YOUNG PORTRAT) COLPORT/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO; (SAN CRISTOBAL MOCKINGBIRD) MARTIN LINDSAY/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO; (FLOREANA MOCKINGBIRD) © TUI DE ROY/MINDEN PICTURES; (POST OFFICE) GM PHOTO IMAGES/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO; NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM, LONDON, UK/BRIDGEMAN IMAGES; (DARWIN SIGNATURE) BRITISH LIBRARY, LONDON, UK/© BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED/BRIDGEMAN IMAGES; (PEN) DIOGEN/SHUTTERSTOCK; (CACTUS FINCH) ROSANNE TACKABERRY/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO; (VEGETARIAN FINCH & SMALL GROUND FINCH PHOTOS) © TUI DE ROY/NATUREPL.COM; (LARGE GROUND FINCH) © TUI DE ROY/MINDEN PICTURES; (OLD DARWIN PORTRAIT) SCIENCE HISTORY IMAGES/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO; (FINCHES & INFOGRAPH) UNIVERSAL IMAGES GROUP NORTH AMERICA LLC/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO. UNWANTED GUESTS: (BLACKBERRIES) ALDO PAVAN/LONELY PLANET IMAGES/GETTY IMAGES; (WILD BOAR & GOAT PHOTOS) © TUI DE ROY/MINDEN PICTURES; (CAT AND IGUANAS) © MITSUAKI IWAGO/MINDEN PICTURES; (BLACKBERRIES) TIM GRAHAM/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO; (GOATS ON ISABELA ISLAND) TUI DE ROY/MINDEN PICTURES/AGE FOTOSTOCK; (CACTUS) ARCO IMAGES GMBH/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO. GALAPAGOS PLANTS AND ANIMALS: (MAP BACKGROUND) ARID OCEAN/SHUTTERSTOCK; (BIRD) ANNE DIRKSE/MOMENT/GETTY IMAGES; (LAVA CACTUS) © PETE OXFORD/MINDEN PICTURES; (PENGUIN) © TUI DE ROY/NATUREPL.COM; (TORTOISE, GOAT & IGUANA PHOTOS) © TUI DE ROY/MINDEN PICTURES; (BLACKBERRIES) ALDO PAVAN/LONELY PLANET IMAGES/GETTY IMAGES. LAND OF GIANTS: (TORTOISE WALKING & SADDLEBACK) © TUI DE ROY/MINDEN PICTURES; (TORTOISE HEAD UP) MARK GREEN/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO; (DOMED SHELL) PEACE PORTAL PHOTO/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO; (LONESOME GEORGE) KRYSTYNA SZULECKA PHOTOGRAPHY/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO. RAISING TORTOISES: (1) © TUI DE ROY/MINDEN PICTURES; (2 & 3) © PETE OXFORD/NATUREPL.COM; (4) DIANE JOHNSON/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO; (5) MAURICIO HANDLER/NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC IMAGE COLLECTION; (BABY TORTOISE) © BOB LANGRISH/FLPA/MINDEN PICTURES; PROTECT THE NATURAL WORLD: (HANDS & EARTH) INCOMIBLE/SHUTTERSTOCK. THE FUTURE OF THE GALAPAGOS: (BACKGROUND) V_E/SHUTTERSTOCK; (IGUANA) ROSANNE TACKABERRY/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO. THE END: (SWIMMING PENGUIN) NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO.