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Billy Bensted Smith CDF
Do All Sharks Behave the Same?

Galápagos sharks do not all behave the same. Hammerheads form large schools, whitetip reef sharks rest on reefs, tiger sharks repeatedly return to key feeding areas, and whale sharks undertake long migrations. Understanding these different behaviors helps protect critical habitats, migration routes, and supports more effective conservation strategies for each species.

Rashid Cruz-CDF
Galapagos Launches Landmark Restoration Project to Bring Back Extinct Species

October 3, 2023, marks the beginning of the implementation phase of the Floreana Ecological Restoration Project, the largest and most ambitious restoration initiative currently underway in the Galapagos Islands.

Carlos Espinosa/CDF
Studying health in birds: An interview with Gislayne Mendoza Alcívar

Gislayne Mendoza Alcívar, our lab technician was interviewed by our donor, Galapagos Conservation Trust, in which she shares her experience in studying the health of some of the islands' most endangered birds.

CDF Archive
Our History

Discover the Charles Darwin Foundation, established in 1959 to protect the Galapagos Islands' fragile ecosystem. As the oldest and largest science and conservation organization in the archipelago, our Research Station leads efforts to preserve this unique environment through groundbreaking research and conservation milestones.

Philornis downsi, an invasive fly.
Following the trail of a natural enemy

Scientists in Galápagos are tracing the origin of the invasive avian vampire fly to find a safe, long-term solution. This story follows a decade-long scientific journey into biological control—where patience, precaution, and nature itself may offer new hope for endemic birds on the brink.

Carlos Espinosa/CDF
Rashid Cruz/CDF
Floreana Finches "Flight Home": Q&A WITH PROF. SONIA KLEINDORFER

Behind the Floreana Finches "Flight Home": Q&A with biologist Professor Sonia Kleindorfer