Isla Guadalupe
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Guadalupe Island () is a volcanic island located off the western coast of
Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
's Baja California peninsula and about southwest of the city of
Ensenada Ensenada ("inlet") is a city in Ensenada Municipality, Baja California, situated on the Pacific Coast of Mexico. Located on Bahía de Todos Santos, the city had a population of 279,765 in 2018, making it the third-largest city in Baja Californ ...
in the state of Baja California, in the
Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...
. The various volcanoes are extinct or dormant. In 2005 Guadalupe Island and its surrounding waters and islets were declared a
biosphere reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...
to restore its vegetation (decimated by
feral goat The feral goat is the domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') when it has become established in the wild. Feral goats occur in many parts of the world. Species Feral goats consist of many breeds of domestic goats, all of which stem from the wild go ...
s) and to protect its population of marine mammals and birds. The island was a popular destination for
great white Great White is an American hard rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1977. The band is named after both the shark with the same name, and guitarist Mark Kendall's former stage nickname. In August 2008, Great White estimated they had sold aroun ...
shark cage diving Shark cage diving is underwater diving or snorkeling where the observer remains inside a protective cage designed to prevent sharks from making contact with the divers. Shark cage diving is used for scientific observation, underwater cinematograp ...
before a tourism ban was put in place in 2022. Guadalupe Island is inhabited only by scientists, military personnel operating a weather station, and a small group of seasonal fishermen. The island is mostly arid and has very little surface water. The two other Mexican island groups in the Pacific Ocean that are not on the
continental shelf A continental shelf is a portion of a continent that is submerged under an area of relatively shallow water, known as a shelf sea. Much of these shelves were exposed by drops in sea level during glacial periods. The shelf surrounding an islan ...
are the
Revillagigedo Islands The Revillagigedo Islands (, ) or Revillagigedo Archipelago are a group of four volcanic islands in the Pacific Ocean, known for their unique ecosystem. They lie approximately from Socorro Island south and southwest of Cabo San Lucas, the sout ...
and
Rocas Alijos Rocas Alijos, or Escollos Alijos () are a series of tiny, steep, uninhabited, and barren volcanic islets or above-water (as well as below-water) rocks in the Pacific Ocean at . They are part of Comondú municipality of the Mexican state of Baja ...
. Guadalupe Island and its islets are the westernmost region of Mexico.


Discovery and history

The first known sighting of Guadalupe Island was in 1602 when a Spanish expedition headed by
Sebastián Vizcaíno Sebastián Vizcaíno (c. 1548–1624) was a Spanish soldier, entrepreneur, explorer, and diplomat whose varied roles took him to New Spain, the Baja California peninsula, the California coast and Asia. Early career Vizcaíno was born in ...
sailed by but did not land on the island. In the late 18th and 19th centuries the island was frequently visited by
fur seal Fur seals are any of nine species of pinnipeds belonging to the subfamily Arctocephalinae in the family Otariidae. They are much more closely related to sea lions than Earless seal, true seals, and share with them external ears (Pinna (anatomy ...
,
otter Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic, or marine. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family, which includes weasels, badgers, mink, and wolverines, among ...
, and
elephant seal Elephant seals or sea elephants are very large, oceangoing earless seals in the genus ''Mirounga''. Both species, the northern elephant seal (''M. angustirostris'') and the southern elephant seal (''M. leonina''), were hunted to the brink of ...
hunters.
Goat The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a species of Caprinae, goat-antelope that is mostly kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the ...
s were probably introduced by seal hunters in the early 1800s and quickly increased their numbers, nearly eradicating the indigenous vegetation.


Administration and population

The 2010
census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
recorded a population of 213 people on the island. In 2015, it was estimated to have fewer than 150 permanent residents. Guadalupe is part of Ensenada ''delegación'', one of the 24 ''delegaciones'' or subdivisions of
Ensenada Municipality Ensenada is a municipalities of Mexico, municipality in the Mexico, Mexican States of Mexico, state of Baja California. It is the fourth-largest municipality in the country, with a land area of in 2020, making slightly smaller than the state of ...
of the
Mexican state A Mexican State (), officially the Free and Sovereign State (), is a constituent federative entity of Mexico according to the Constitution of Mexico. Currently there are 31 states, each with its own constitution, government, state governor, a ...
of Baja California. Ensenada ''delegación'' and Chapultepec ''delegación'' together form the city of
Ensenada Ensenada ("inlet") is a city in Ensenada Municipality, Baja California, situated on the Pacific Coast of Mexico. Located on Bahía de Todos Santos, the city had a population of 279,765 in 2018, making it the third-largest city in Baja Californ ...
, the
municipal seat A municipal seat (Spanish: ; ) is the administrative center and seat of government of a municipality or civil parish, with other villages or towns subordinated. The term is used in Brazil, Colombia,postal code A postal code (also known locally in various English-speaking countries throughout the world as a postcode, post code, PIN or ZIP Code) is a series of letters or numerical digit, digits or both, sometimes including spaces or punctuation, inclu ...
of Guadalupe Island is 22997. ''Campo Oeste'' ("West Camp", also called ''Campo Tepeyac'', with 15 buildings) is a small community of
abalone Abalone ( or ; via Spanish , from Rumsen language, Rumsen ''aulón'') is a common name for any small to very large marine life, marine gastropod mollusc in the family (biology), family Haliotidae, which once contained six genera but now cont ...
and
lobster Lobsters are Malacostraca, malacostracans Decapoda, decapod crustaceans of the family (biology), family Nephropidae or its Synonym (taxonomy), synonym Homaridae. They have long bodies with muscular tails and live in crevices or burrows on th ...
fishermen, located on the western coast, specifically on the north side of West Anchorage, a bay that provides protection from the strong winds and swells that whip the islands during winter. Generators provide electricity, and a military vessel brings of freshwater. The number of fishermen varies annually depending on the fishing season. Ten months of the year the 30 families of the fishing cooperative "''Abuloneros'' and ''Langosteros'' of Guadalupe Island" are present. Additional temporary fishing camps are ''Campo Norte'' ("North Camp", four buildings), ''Campo Lima'' (''Campo Corrals'') (one building) and ''Arroyitos'' (four buildings). At the southern tip, on Melpómene Cove, there is a weather station staffed by a detachment from the Mexican Ministry of the Navy. The site is called ''Campamento Sur'' ("South Encampment"). ''Campo Bosque'' was established as a temporary camp in 1999 in the
cypress Cypress is a common name for various coniferous trees or shrubs from the ''Cupressus'' genus of the '' Cupressaceae'' family, typically found in temperate climates and subtropical regions of Asia, Europe, and North America. The word ''cypress'' ...
forest in the north. The camp houses members of the Cooperative Farming Society "Francisco Javier Maytorena, S.C. of R.L." and removes goats from the island and sells them in the State of
Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora (), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is divided into Municipalities of Sonora, 72 ...
, with permission of
Secretariat of the Environment and Natural Resources The Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (in Spanish: ''Secretaría del Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales, SEMARNAT'') is Mexico's environment ministry. Its head, the Secretary of the Environment and Natural Resources, is a member o ...
(SEMARNAT) and the support of the Secretariat of the Navy. ''Campo Pista'' is located at the small airport, near the center of the island (, elevation: 592 m, direction: 05/23). Airport ''Isla Guadalupe'' (
ICAO The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international sch ...
Code ''MMGD'') has a runway. At the end of the runway near threshold 5 is the wreckage of a
Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar The Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar is an American passenger transport aircraft of the World War II era, developed as part of the Model 10 Electra family, specifically from the Lockheed Model 14 Super Electra. Design and development Sales of the 1 ...
, which overshot the runway during landing. A North American B-25J-30/32 Mitchell, BMM-3501 (c/n 44-86712), bomber wrecked on the opposite end of the runway, after suffering serious damage in trying to take-off overloaded (). The B-25 wreckage was removed between October 2005 and June 2006. Because Guadalupe Island is located within a
biosphere The biosphere (), also called the ecosphere (), is the worldwide sum of all ecosystems. It can also be termed the zone of life on the Earth. The biosphere (which is technically a spherical shell) is virtually a closed system with regard to mat ...
reserve Reserve or reserves may refer to: Places * Reserve, Kansas, a US city * Reserve, Louisiana, a census-designated place in St. John the Baptist Parish * Reserve, Montana, a census-designated place in Sheridan County * Reserve, New Mexico, a US v ...
, anyone visiting the island must obtain a permit from the
Mexican government The Federal government of Mexico (alternately known as the Government of the Republic or ' or ') is the national government of the United Mexican States, the central government established by its constitution to share sovereignty over the republ ...
; this means the communities on the island are
closed towns A closed city or town is a settlement where travel or residency restrictions are applied. Historically, the construction of closed cities became increasingly common after the beginning of the Cold War, particularly in the Soviet Union. Since t ...
.


Geology

Guadalupe Island has a rugged landscape composed of two
shield volcano A shield volcano is a type of volcano named for its low profile, resembling a shield lying on the ground. It is formed by the eruption of highly fluid (low viscosity) lava, which travels farther and forms thinner flows than the more viscous lava ...
es which formed on a now extinct
mid-ocean ridge A mid-ocean ridge (MOR) is a undersea mountain range, seafloor mountain system formed by plate tectonics. It typically has a depth of about and rises about above the deepest portion of an ocean basin. This feature is where seafloor spreading ...
. They are overlain by lava flows and
cinder cone A cinder cone or scoria cone is a steep, volcanic cone, conical landform of loose pyroclastic rock, pyroclastic fragments, such as volcanic ash, clinkers, or scoria that has been built around a volcanic vent. The pyroclastic fragments are forme ...
s that were emplaced along northwest-southeast and northeast-southwest trending
fissure vent A fissure vent, also known as a volcanic fissure, eruption fissure or simply a fissure, is a linear volcanic vent through which lava erupts, usually without any explosive activity. The vent is often a few metres wide and may be many kilo ...
s. The youngest shield volcano comprises the northern end of the island and may have formed during the
Holocene The Holocene () is the current geologic time scale, geological epoch, beginning approximately 11,700 years ago. It follows the Last Glacial Period, which concluded with the Holocene glacial retreat. The Holocene and the preceding Pleistocene to ...
epoch In chronology and periodization, an epoch or reference epoch is an instant in time chosen as the origin of a particular calendar era. The "epoch" serves as a reference point from which time is measured. The moment of epoch is usually decided b ...
. A series of very fresh-looking
alkali basalt Alkali basalt or alkali olivine basalt is a dark-colored, porphyritic volcanic rock usually found in oceanic and continental areas associated with volcanic activity, such as oceanic islands, continental rifts and volcanic fields. Alkali basalt i ...
flows along with
trachyte Trachyte () is an extrusive igneous rock composed mostly of alkali feldspar. It is usually light-colored and aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained), with minor amounts of mafic minerals, and is formed by the rapid cooling of lava (or shallow intrus ...
domes A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...
in the northern shield volcano
caldera A caldera ( ) is a large cauldron-like hollow that forms shortly after the emptying of a magma chamber in a volcanic eruption. An eruption that ejects large volumes of magma over a short period of time can cause significant detriment to the str ...
represent the most recently formed rocks on Guadalupe Island.


Geography

The island measures north-south and up to east-west, with a total area of . It features a chain of high volcanic mountain ridges which rises to a height of at its northern end (Mount Augusta). Its smaller counterpart on the southern end is the El Picacho. The southern part of the island is mostly barren, but there are scattered stands of trees at higher elevations of the northern part of the island and in the Twin Canyon area on the northeast coast. The coast generally consists of rocky bluffs with detached rocks fronting some of them. Two high and prominent islets are within of the southwestern end of the island, separated from one another by a gap called Tuna Alley: * Islote Afuera (''Outer Islet'', also ''Islote Zapato''), , , the most distant, steep with almost vertical walls above and below water * Islote Adentro (''Inner Islet'', also ''El Toro''), , , with two smaller islets nearby: ** Church Rock ** Roca del Skip Elsewhere, the other islets are very small and close to the shore, all less than away: * Islote Negro, , , to the southwest * Roca Hundida, , , to the southwest * Islote Bernal, , , to the southwest * Palto Muerto, , , north of Islote Bernal * unnamed islet, , , north of Islote Bernal * Steamboat Rock, , to the west * Roca Elefante, , to the northwest (the westernmost) ** Roca Elefante is the westernmost point in both
Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
and
Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...
.


Climate

The island has two major
climate zone Climate zones are systems that categorize the world's climates. A climate classification may correlate closely with a biome classification, as climate is a major influence on life in a region. The most used is the Köppen climate classification ...
s: a very arid, warm climate between elevation, with mean monthly temperature between and an arid, temperate climate above elevation. Most
precipitation In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls from clouds due to gravitational pull. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, rain and snow mixed ("sleet" in Commonwe ...
occurs over the winter months with a strong influence of northwestern winds and
cyclone In meteorology, a cyclone () is a large air mass that rotates around a strong center of low atmospheric pressure, counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere as viewed from above (opposite to an ant ...
s. Rainfall averages near sea level at the south end, but appears to be much more at the high north end. An estimate for the rainfall in the northern highlands is possible by way of taking ''
Pinus radiata ''Pinus radiata'' ( syn. ''Pinus insignis''), the Monterey pine, insignis pine or radiata pine, is a species of pine native to the Central Coast of California and Mexico (on Guadalupe Island and Cedros island). It is an evergreen conifer in t ...
'' as an indicator, which is native to that area of the island. In other places where ''Pinus radiata'' is native, it grows best with about of rainfall but under some conditions can survive with as little as half that much. The effective moisture is much greater because of
fog drip Fog drip is water dripping to the ground during fog. It occurs when water droplets from the fog adhere to the needles or leaves of trees or other objects, coalesce into larger drops and then drop to the ground. Fog drip can be an important sourc ...
.


Ecology

Guadalupe Island was a major destination for
Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
n and
American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...
fur hunters seeking the
Guadalupe fur seal The Guadalupe fur seal (''Arctocephalus townsendi'') is one of eight members of the fur seal genus '' Arctocephalus''. They are the northernmost member of this genus. Sealers reduced the population to just a few dozen by the late 19th century, bu ...
(''Arctocephalus townsendi'') in the 18th and 19th centuries. Captain Auguste Duhaut-Cilly reported in 1827 that a
Sandwich Islands The Hawaiian Islands () are an archipelago of eight major volcanic islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll. Formerly ca ...
(Hawaiian Islands) brig "had spent several months there and collected three thousand sealskins". The
northern elephant seal The northern elephant seal (''Mirounga angustirostris'') is one of two species of elephant seal (the other is the southern elephant seal). It is a member of the family Phocidae (true seals). Elephant seals derive their name from their great s ...
(''Mirounga angustirostris'') was also ruthlessly hunted for the oil in its blubber. Northern elephant seals were thought to be
extinct Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce and ...
by 1884 until a remnant population of eight individuals was discovered on Guadalupe Island in 1892 by a Smithsonian expedition, which promptly killed several of them for their collections. The northern elephant seals managed to survive, and were finally protected by the
Mexican government The Federal government of Mexico (alternately known as the Government of the Republic or ' or ') is the national government of the United Mexican States, the central government established by its constitution to share sovereignty over the republ ...
in 1922. Guadalupe shares the
California chaparral and woodlands The California chaparral and woodlands is a terrestrial ecoregion of southwestern Oregon, northern, central, and southern California (United States) and northwestern Baja California (Mexico), located on the west coast of North America. It is a ...
ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) is an ecological and geographic area that exists on multiple different levels, defined by type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and c ...
with the
Channel Islands of California The Channel Islands () are an eight-island archipelago located within the Southern California Bight in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of California. They define the Santa Barbara Channel between the islands and the California mainland. The ...
in the United States, but the island was at one time practically denuded of all plants higher than a few centimeters by up to 100,000The maximum population that was reached in the late 19th century; nearly two feral goats per
acre The acre ( ) is a Unit of measurement, unit of land area used in the Imperial units, British imperial and the United States customary units#Area, United States customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one Chain (unit), ch ...
and more than four per
hectare The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), that is, square metres (), and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. ...
: León de la Luz ''et al'' (2003)
feral goat The feral goat is the domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') when it has become established in the wild. Feral goats occur in many parts of the world. Species Feral goats consist of many breeds of domestic goats, all of which stem from the wild go ...
s. Originally brought to the island in the 19th century by
Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
an whalers and sealers for provisions when stopping over, the population eventually eliminated most vegetation; the number of feral goats declined to a few thousand. Before this collapse, the main impact of the feral goat population was about the turn of the 19th/20th century. Naturalist A. W. Anthony wrote in 1901:
"It is directly due to the despised Billy-goat that many interesting species of plants formerly abundant are now extinct, and also that one or more of the birds peculiar to the island has disappeared, and others are following rapidly."
After the crash, the feral goat population once again grew, this time more slowly, until it had reached the new, lower
carrying capacity The carrying capacity of an ecosystem is the maximum population size of a biological species that can be sustained by that specific environment, given the food, habitat, water, and other resources available. The carrying capacity is defined as the ...
at maybe 10,000–20,000 in modern times. The island had been a nature conservancy area since August 16, 1928, making it one of the oldest reserves in Mexico.
Extirpation Local extinction, also extirpation, is the termination of a species (or other taxon) in a chosen geographic area of study, though it still exists elsewhere. Local extinctions are contrasted with extinction, global extinctions. Local extinctions ...
of the feral goats was long envisioned, but logistical difficulties, such as island size and lack of suitable spots for landing and encamping hunters and material, prevented this. In 2002, the
Mexican government The Federal government of Mexico (alternately known as the Government of the Republic or ' or ') is the national government of the United Mexican States, the central government established by its constitution to share sovereignty over the republ ...
(including
SEMARNAT The Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (in Spanish: ''Secretaría del Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales, SEMARNAT'') is Mexico's environment ministry. Its head, the Secretary of the Environment and Natural Resources, is a member o ...
) and the conservation group ''Grupo de Ecología y Conservación de Islas'' began extirpating the feral goats. In June 2005, after many years of false starts, the Mexican government had almost completed a round-up and evacuation of the remaining feral goat population. In 2007, the feral goat extirpation program ended (10,000 feral goats were extirpated). Guadalupe Island was designated a
biosphere The biosphere (), also called the ecosphere (), is the worldwide sum of all ecosystems. It can also be termed the zone of life on the Earth. The biosphere (which is technically a spherical shell) is virtually a closed system with regard to mat ...
reserve Reserve or reserves may refer to: Places * Reserve, Kansas, a US city * Reserve, Louisiana, a census-designated place in St. John the Baptist Parish * Reserve, Montana, a census-designated place in Sheridan County * Reserve, New Mexico, a US v ...
on April 25, 2005. French sea captain Auguste Duhaut-Cilly remarked on the tall trees on the north of Guadalupe Island as he sailed past on January 2, 1827. Of the four large tree species on Guadalupe Island (the Guadalupe palm, Guadalupe cypress, island oak, and
Monterey pine ''Pinus radiata'' (synonym (taxonomy), syn. ''Pinus insignis''), the Monterey pine, insignis pine or radiata pine, is a species of pine native to the Central Coast (California), Central Coast of California and Mexico (on Guadalupe Island and Ced ...
), there were only old individuals left; the
California juniper ''Juniperus californica'', the California juniper, is a species of juniper native to southwestern North America. Description ''Juniperus californica'' is a shrub or small tree reaching , but rarely up to tall. The bark is ashy gray, typically t ...
population had entirely disappeared. As the feral goats ate any seedlings that managed to germinate, no regeneration of trees was possible. Water, formerly plentiful as the common fogs condensed in the forests of the northern end of the island, today only occurs in a few scattered pools and springs. Because the springs were a critical emergency water supply for the human inhabitants, protective measures including feral goat fences were installed beginning in 2000, allowing new seedlings of many species to survive for the first time in 150 years.
Seacology Seacology is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) charitable organization headquartered in Berkeley, California, that works to preserve island ecosystems and cultures around the world. Founded in 1991, it began with the work of ethnobotanist Paul Alan Cox, ...
, a non-profit environmental group located in Berkeley, CA, provided funding to the Island Conservation & Ecology Group for the construction of 10 fenced
exclosure An exclosure, in an area being used extensively for grazing, is a limited area from which unwanted browsing (herbivory), browsing animals, such as domestic cattle or wildlife such as deer, are excluded by fencing or other means. Environmental ...
s to keep feral goats out of the most sensitive areas of Guadalupe Island. In November 1850, U.S. Army Lt.
George H. Derby George Horatio Derby (April 3, 1823 – May 15, 1861) was an early California humorist. He attended West Point with Ulysses S. Grant. Derby used the pseudonym "John P. Squibob" and its variants "John Phoenix" and "Squibob." Derby served as a l ...
passed the island on his expedition in the U.S. Transport ''Invincible''. He described it thus: "This island is about 15 miles length and 5 in width. It is rocky + mountainous but capped with vegetation and is reputed to be thickly inhabited by wild goats of unusual size. Water is found upon the eastern shore and the Island is frequently visited by small vessels engaged in the capture of the sea elephant numbers of which animals are found upon its coast." Many islands or marine
species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
that reside on or near Guadalupe also frequent the Channel Islands, and vice versa. In stark contrast to the rampant extinction of terrestrial life that happened at the same time, Guadalupe was the last refuge for the
northern elephant seal The northern elephant seal (''Mirounga angustirostris'') is one of two species of elephant seal (the other is the southern elephant seal). It is a member of the family Phocidae (true seals). Elephant seals derive their name from their great s ...
(''Mirounga angustirostris'') and the
Guadalupe fur seal The Guadalupe fur seal (''Arctocephalus townsendi'') is one of eight members of the fur seal genus '' Arctocephalus''. They are the northernmost member of this genus. Sealers reduced the population to just a few dozen by the late 19th century, bu ...
(''Arctocephalus townsendi'') in the 1890s. The island has been a
pinniped Pinnipeds (pronounced ), commonly known as seals, are a widely range (biology), distributed and diverse clade of carnivorous, fin-footed, semiaquatic, mostly marine mammals. They comprise the extant taxon, extant families Odobenidae (whose onl ...
sanctuary since 1975. The movement of the cool, nutrient-rich water current promotes phytoplankton production and attracts both coastal and deep-water species, including spanish mackerel, yellowfin tuna and
great white shark The great white shark (''Carcharodon carcharias''), also known as the white shark, white pointer, or simply great white, is a species of large Lamniformes, mackerel shark which can be found in the coastal surface waters of all the major ocea ...
s. Guadalupe is considered one of the best spots in the world for sightings of the great white shark (''Carcharhodon carcharias''), because of its clear water and large population of pinnipeds, their primary prey.https://travel.padi.com/d/guadalupe-island/ Travel.padi.com. PADI Travel. Diving in Guadalupe Island. Retrieved August 17, 2018. Because of the aggregation of over 350 identified white sharks, the island has hosted a recreational cage diving industry from one boat in 2005, to as many as eight operators in 2019, bringing thousands of shark enthusiasts to the island. In 2019 the Mexican Department SEMARNANT suspended cage diving and sport fishing between May and December to evaluate tourism’s impact on the several hundred protected white sharks congregating there. The Mexican Government said the closure was intended to gather information to adopt the best sustainability practices that guarantee their conservation. As of January 10, 2023, cage diving with great white sharks at Isla Guadalupe, Mexico, is permanently prohibited. The Mexican Government’s ban covers all tourism inside the reserve, including film production and liveaboard diving. The island has been recognised as an
Important Bird Area An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations. IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...
(IBA) by
BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding i ...
.


Habitat types

Before the
extirpation Local extinction, also extirpation, is the termination of a species (or other taxon) in a chosen geographic area of study, though it still exists elsewhere. Local extinctions are contrasted with extinction, global extinctions. Local extinctions ...
of the
feral goat The feral goat is the domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') when it has become established in the wild. Feral goats occur in many parts of the world. Species Feral goats consist of many breeds of domestic goats, all of which stem from the wild go ...
s, surveys found eight major land
habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...
s on Guadalupe: # Flora of the coastal lowlands and rocky cliffs: mainly up to
above mean sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of a location's vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) in reference to a vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level. In geodesy, it is formalized as orthometric height. The zero level ...
(ASL), but higher on the steep cliffs. Largely unresearched due to difficult access, the cliffs might even harbor remnant specimens of the presumably extinct plants. #
Succulent In botany, succulent plants, also known as succulents, are plants with parts that are thickened, fleshy, and engorged, usually to retain water in arid climates or soil conditions. The word ''succulent'' comes from the Latin word ''sucus'', meani ...
perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...
herb Herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal purposes, or for fragrances. Culinary use typically distingu ...
s: ASL, chiefly on the southern end and on the offshore islets, and in less steep areas towards sea level. Here, the highest number of endemic plants exist. '' Baeriopsis guadalupensis'', ''
Cistanthe guadalupensis ''Cistanthe guadalupensis'' is a species of caudiciform succulent flowering plant in the family Montiaceae.Carolin ex M.A. Hershkovitz, 1990 ''In: Phytologia, 68(4): 269'' The plant is native to Guadalupe Island Guadalupe Island () is a volca ...
'', '' Dudleya guadalupensis'', ''Hemizonia greeneana'' ssp. ''greeneana'', '' H. palmeri'', ''
Nesothamnus incanus ''Nesothamnus incanus'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is endemic to Guadalupe Island, a Mexican Pacific island off the west coast of Baja California. The species was first named ''Perityle incana'' by Asa Gray in 1 ...
'', and ''
Stephanomeria guadalupensis ''Stephanomeria'' is a genus of North American plants also known as wirelettuce, belonging to the tribe Cichorieae within the family Asteraceae.Lee, J., Baldwin, B., and Gottlieb, L.D.; ''Phylogeny of ''Stephanomeria'' and related genera (composi ...
'' are dominant endemics, and giant coreopsis (''Coreopsis gigantea''), a non-endemic native species, is also abundant. #
Arid Aridity is the condition of geographical regions which make up approximately 43% of total global available land area, characterized by low annual precipitation, increased temperatures, and limited water availability.Perez-Aguilar, L. Y., Plata ...
maritime Maritime may refer to: Geography * Maritime Alps, a mountain range in the southwestern part of the Alps * Maritime Region, a region in Togo * Maritime Southeast Asia * The Maritimes, the Canadian provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Princ ...
shrubland Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominance (ecology), dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbaceous plant, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally o ...
: ASL. Mainly in the southern portion around El Picacho. Native species occurring here include '' Ambrosia camphorata'', '' Atriplex barclayana'', ''
Cylindropuntia prolifera ''Cylindropuntia prolifera'', known by the common name Coastal cholla, is a species of cactus. In Australia it is called 'Jumping Cholla' because of it seeming to jump from outbreak to outbreak. Description ''Cylindropuntia prolifera'' is a most ...
'' and California boxthorn (''Lycium californicum''); none of these is endemic. # Herbland dominated by introduced plants: ASL, mainly on the central plateau. This habitat is almost entirely a consequence of overgrazing; hardly anything of the original ecosystem remains. Dominant introduced plants are ''
Avena barbata ''Avena barbata'' is a species of Avena, wild oat known by the common name slender wild oat. It has edible seeds. It is a diploidized autotetraploid grass (2n=4x=28). Its diploid ancestors are ''A. hirtula'' Lag. and ''A. wiestii'' Steud (2n=2x=1 ...
'', '' Bromus berteroanus'', great brome (''B. diandrus''), soft brome (''B. hordeaceus'' sspp. ''hordaceus'' and ''mollis''),
red brome ''Bromus madritensis'' is a species of brome grass known by the common name compact brome. The specific epithet ''madritensis'' refers to Madrid, Spain. It has a diploid number of 28. There are two subspecies: *''Bromus madritensis'' subsp. ''m ...
(''B. madritensis'' ssp. ''rubens''), tocalote (''Centaurea melitensis''), nettle-leaved goosefoot (''Chenopodium murale''), '' Filago californica'', wall barley (''Hordeum murinum'' sspp. ''glaucum'' and ''leporinum''), crystalline iceplant (''Mesembryanthemum crystallinum''), '' M. nodiflorum'', ''
Polypogon monspeliensis ''Polypogon monspeliensis'', commonly known as annual beard-grass or annual rabbitsfoot grass, is a species of grass. It is native to the Old World, but it can be found today throughout the world as an introduced species and sometimes a noxious w ...
'' and '' Sisymbrium orientale''. The non-endemic natives dwarf coastweed (''Amblyopappus pusillus''), island false bindweed (''Calystegia macrostegia'' ssp. ''macrostegia''), ''Cryptantha maritima'' var. ''maritima'', '' Filago arizonica'', '' Gilia nevinii'',
California goldfields ''Lasthenia californica'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common name California goldfields. It is native to western North America. Description ''L. californica'' is an annual herb approaching a maximum hei ...
(''Lasthenia californica''), '' Pectocarya palmeri'' and ''
Perityle emoryi ''Perityle emoryi'' is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name Emory's rockdaisy. It is native to the Southwestern United States, northwestern Mexico, and western South America. It is a common wildflower of the d ...
'' as well as the endemics '' Cryptantha foliosa'' and '' Sphaeralcea palmeri'' can be found here also; some are still numerous. This probably was a mesic shrub/herbland before the goats destroyed the upland forest, upsetting the water supply. Native plants still found on Guadalupe, like '' Crossosoma californicum'',
laurel sumac ''Malosma'' is a plant genus which contains only a single species, ''Malosma laurina'', with the common names laurel sumac and lentisco (Spanish).Integrated Taxonomic Information System (2007)''Malosma'' retrieved June 10, 2007. ''Malosma lauri ...
(''Malosma laurina'') and the endemic ''Camissonia guadalupensis'' ssp. ''guadalupensis'', presumably thrived here in former times, as would have such taxa as the native hoary-leaved ceanothus (''Ceanothus crassifolius''), wedge-leaved ceanothus (''C. cuneatus'') – and possibly also felt-leaved ceanothus (''C. arboreus''), which was found in 2001–2003 surveys –, '' Cammisonia robusta'', red-flowering currant (''Ribes sanguineum'') and the endemic ''
Hesperelaea palmeri ''Hesperelaea'' is a plant genus with only one species, probably now extinct. ''Hesperelaea palmeri'' was found only on Guadalupe Island, a small island in the Pacific Ocean, part of the Mexican state of Baja California, about southwest of Ens ...
'', which have now disappeared from the island. # Guadalupe palm groves: ASL on the northwest side of the island. There are hundreds of palm trees remaining, mainly in a single patch of this habitat. At least one other major palm forest existed at the western coast; it was still present in 1906 at "Steamer Point". As reproduction is presumably still ongoing, the species will likely recover in due time. # Guadalupe cypress forest: ASL. Presently some 4,000 old trees, essentially limited to the central-northern part. Other
cypress forest A Cypress forest is a western United States plant association typically dominated by one or more cypress species. Example species comprising the canopy include ''Cupressus macrocarpa''. In some cases these forests have been severely damaged by goats ...
s, such as a major stand NE of the present patch which was still extant in 1906, were destroyed by the goats early in the 20th century. There is still reproduction, but the water table appears to have declined to below the level required by the cypresses, and mortality of the old trees is high and can be expected to continue even after the removal of the goats. # Guadalupe palm – island oak
Monterey pine ''Pinus radiata'' (synonym (taxonomy), syn. ''Pinus insignis''), the Monterey pine, insignis pine or radiata pine, is a species of pine native to the Central Coast (California), Central Coast of California and Mexico (on Guadalupe Island and Ced ...
woodland: ASL. This habitat has all but disappeared during the 20th century, due to the decline in numbers of the oaks and pines. # Guadalupe pine
cloud forest A cloud forest, also called a water forest, primas forest, or tropical montane cloud forest, is a generally tropical or subtropical, evergreen, Montane forest, montane, Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, moist forest characteri ...
with some island oak: restricted to above ASL on the N-NE point of the island. The population of the pine has declined by about two-thirds during the last 35 years; it presently stands at about 130 old trees in the main population and about the same number scattered elsewhere. Reproduction is ongoing, with several hundred seedlings having successfully established themselves since 2000, and with the elimination of goat browsing, the pines will likely make a full recovery. The situation of the oak is direr; there are only 20 trees or so remaining (by about 1950, there were 100) and they appear past reproductive age. Not being restricted to Guadalupe, seedlings could be imported from elsewhere. A ninth habitat type,
California juniper ''Juniperus californica'', the California juniper, is a species of juniper native to southwestern North America. Description ''Juniperus californica'' is a shrub or small tree reaching , but rarely up to tall. The bark is ashy gray, typically t ...
woodland and extending on the central plateau below the cypress forest, was entirely gone by 1906. What other endemic lifeforms underwent
coextinction Coextinction and cothreatened refer to the phenomenon of the loss or decline of a host species resulting in the loss or endangerment of another species that depends on it, potentially leading to cascading effects across trophic levels. The term w ...
with it will forever remain unknown.


Endemism

Animals: *
Guadalupe fur seal The Guadalupe fur seal (''Arctocephalus townsendi'') is one of eight members of the fur seal genus '' Arctocephalus''. They are the northernmost member of this genus. Sealers reduced the population to just a few dozen by the late 19th century, bu ...
(''Arctocephalus townsendi'') – only major breeding site *
Townsend's storm petrel Townsend's storm petrel (''Hydrobates socorroensis'') is a species of seabird in the family Hydrobatidae. It breeds in the summer on rocks and islets of Guadalupe Island off the western coast of Mexico. It ranges in the Eastern Pacific Ocean nor ...
(''Hydrobates socorroensis'') – only known breeding site *
Ainley's storm petrel Ainley's storm petrel (''Hydrobates cheimomnestes'') is a species of seabird in the family Hydrobatidae. It breeds in the winter on Guadalupe Island off the western coast of Mexico. It ranges south to the Galápagos Islands. It is considered by ...
(''Hydrobates cheimomnestes'') – only known breeding site * Guadalupe
rock wren The rock wren (''Salpinctes obsoletus'') is a small songbird of the wren family native to western North America, Mexico and Central America. It is the only species in the genus ''Salpinctes''. Description Measurements: * Length: 4.9-5.9 ...
(''Salpinctes obsoletus guadalupensis'') –
endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...
* Guadalupe
house finch The house finch (''Haemorhous mexicanus'') is a North American bird in the finch family. It is native to Mexico and southwestern United States, but has since been introduced to the eastern part of North America and Hawaiʻi; it is now found year-r ...
(''Haemorhous mexicanus amplus'') – endemic * Guadalupe
pipefish Pipefishes or pipe-fishes (Syngnathinae) are a subfamily of small fishes, which, together with the seahorses and seadragons ('' Phycodurus'' and '' Phyllopteryx''), form the family Syngnathidae. Description Pipefish look like straight-bodied s ...
(''Syngnathus insulae'') – endemic *
Guadalupe junco The Guadalupe junco (''Junco insularis'') is a small bird in the New World sparrow family that is endemic to Guadalupe Island off the western coast of Baja California, Mexico. Many taxonomic authorities classified it in 2008 as a subspecies of t ...
(''Junco insularis'') – endemic *
Guadalupe caracara The Guadalupe caracara (''Caracara lutosa'') or mourning caracara is an extinct bird of prey belonging to the falcon family (Falconidae). It was, together with the closely related crested caracara (''Caracara plancus''), formerly placed in the ...
(''Caracara lutosa'') – endemic, extinct * Guadalupe Bewick's wren (''Thryomanes bewickii brevicauda'') – endemic, possibly extinct * Endemic
spider Spiders (order (biology), order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight limbs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude spider silk, silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and ran ...
s: ** '' Habronattus gigas'' ** ''
Herpyllus giganteus ''Herpyllus'' is a genus of ground spiders first described by Nicholas Marcellus Hentz in 1832. Species it contains thirty-three species, including thirteen from North America: *'' Herpyllus australis'' (Holmberg, 1881) – Argentina *'' Herp ...
'' ** '' Kibramoa isolata'' ** '' Sergiolus guadalupensis'' Plants: * '' Baeriopsis guadalupensis'' – near-endemic * '' Brahea edulis'' (Guadalupe palm) – effectively endemicSome naturalized populations exist in California * ''Camissonia guadalupensis'' ssp. ''guadalupensis'' – endemic * '' Castilleja fruticosa'' – endemic * ''
Cistanthe guadalupensis ''Cistanthe guadalupensis'' is a species of caudiciform succulent flowering plant in the family Montiaceae.Carolin ex M.A. Hershkovitz, 1990 ''In: Phytologia, 68(4): 269'' The plant is native to Guadalupe Island Guadalupe Island () is a volca ...
'' – endemic * ''
Hesperocyparis guadalupensis ''Hesperocyparis guadalupensis'', commonly known as Guadalupe cypress, is a species of western cypress from Guadalupe Island in the Pacific Ocean off the western coast of Mexico's Baja Peninsula. It was previously known as ''Cupressus guadalupe ...
'' (Guadalupe cypress) – endemic * '' Cryptantha foliosa'' – endemic * '' Deinandra frutescens'' – endemic * ''Deinandra greeneana'' ssp. ''greeneana'' – endemic * '' Deinandra palmeri'' – endemic * '' Dudleya guadalupensis'' – endemic * ''Dudleya virens'' ssp. ''extima'' – endemic * '' Eriogonum zapatoense'' – endemic * ''
Erysimum moranii ''Erysimum'', or wallflower, is a genus of flowering plants in the cabbage family, Brassicaceae. It includes more than 150 species, both popular garden plants and many wild forms. ''Erysimum'' is characterised by star-shaped and/or two-sided) tr ...
'' – endemic * '' Eschscholzia elegans'' – near-endemic * '' Eschscholzia palmeri'' – endemic * '' Galium angulosum'' – endemic * ''Githopsis diffusa'' var. ''guadalupensis'' – endemic * '' Hemizonia frutescens'' – endemic * ''Hemizonia greeneana'' ssp. ''greeneana'' – endemic * '' Hemizonia palmeri'' – endemic * ''Heteromeles arbutifolia'' var. ''macrocarpa'' – probably endemic * '' Lavatera lindsayi'' – endemic * '' Lupinus niveus'' – endemic * '' Marah guadalupensis'' – near-endemic or endemicDepending on whether this population belongs to ''Marah macrocarpus'' var. ''major'' or not * '' Perityle incana'' – endemic * '' Phacelia phyllomanica'' – endemic * ''Pinus radiata'' var. ''binata'' (Guadalupe Monterey pine) – near-endemic or endemicDepending on the taxonomic status of the
Cedros Island Cedros Island (''Isla de Cedros'', "island of cedars" in Spanish (language), Spanish) is an island in the Pacific Ocean belonging to the state of Baja California, Mexico. The dry and rocky island had a population of 1,350 in 2005 and has an area o ...
population
* '' Satureja palmeri'' – endemic; rediscovered in 2001–2003 surveys * '' Senecio palmeri'' – endemic * '' Sphaeralcea palmeri'' – endemic * '' Sphaeralcea sulphurea'' – endemic * ''
Stephanomeria guadalupensis ''Stephanomeria'' is a genus of North American plants also known as wirelettuce, belonging to the tribe Cichorieae within the family Asteraceae.Lee, J., Baldwin, B., and Gottlieb, L.D.; ''Phylogeny of ''Stephanomeria'' and related genera (composi ...
'' – endemic * '' Triteleia guadalupensis'' – endemic


Extinctions

Numerous
taxa In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; : taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular name and ...
have gone
extinct Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce and ...
due to the habitat destruction by the
feral goat The feral goat is the domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') when it has become established in the wild. Feral goats occur in many parts of the world. Species Feral goats consist of many breeds of domestic goats, all of which stem from the wild go ...
s, which in turn rendered the endemic fauna vulnerable to predation by introduced
feral cat A feral cat or a stray cat is an unowned domestic cat (''Felis catus'') that lives outdoors and avoids human contact; it does not allow itself to be handled or touched, and usually remains hidden from humans. Feral cats may breed over dozens ...
s and adverse weather by depriving them of shelter. There have been 5–6 extinctions of birds: * Guadalupe Bewick's wren (''Thryomanes bewickii brevicauda''), the late 1890s * Guadalupe
spotted towhee The spotted towhee (''Pipilo maculatus'') is a large New World sparrow. The taxonomy of the towhees has been debated in recent decades, and until 1995 this bird and the eastern towhee were considered a single species, the rufous-sided towhee. ...
(''Pipilo maculatus consobrinus''), the late 1890s *
Guadalupe caracara The Guadalupe caracara (''Caracara lutosa'') or mourning caracara is an extinct bird of prey belonging to the falcon family (Falconidae). It was, together with the closely related crested caracara (''Caracara plancus''), formerly placed in the ...
(''Caracara lutosa''), 1906 – intentionally made extinct by humans, ironically because it occasionally preyed on young goats * Guadalupe red-shafted flicker (''Colaptes auratus rufipileus''), 1906 – the island was later recolonized by individuals of an extant mainland red-shafted
northern flicker The northern flicker or common flicker (''Colaptes auratus'') is a medium-sized bird of the woodpecker family. It is native to most of North America, parts of Central America, Cuba, and the Cayman Islands, and is one of the few woodpecker specie ...
subspecies (which one is unknown) *
Guadalupe storm petrel The Guadalupe storm petrel (''Hydrobates macrodactylus'') is a small seabird of the storm petrel family (biology), family Hydrobatidae. It bred only on Guadalupe Island off Baja California, Mexico, and presumably ranged throughout the region. It ...
(''Hydrobates macrodactyla''), the 1910s * Guadalupe ruby-crowned kinglet (''Corthylio calendula obscurus'') – close to extinction (if, indeed, it still exists); it was not observed in 2000, despite thorough searches Globally extinct plant taxa from Guadalupe Island are: * ''
Castilleja guadalupensis ''Castilleja guadalupensis'' is an extinct species of plant in the broomrape family Orobanchaceae commonly known as the Guadalupe paintbrush. The plant was only found on the central and northern portions of Guadalupe Island, an eastern Pacific is ...
'' * ''
Hesperelaea palmeri ''Hesperelaea'' is a plant genus with only one species, probably now extinct. ''Hesperelaea palmeri'' was found only on Guadalupe Island, a small island in the Pacific Ocean, part of the Mexican state of Baja California, about southwest of Ens ...
'' * ''
Pogogyne tenuiflora ''Pogogyne tenuiflora'' is an extinct species of annual plant in the mint family. Endemic to Guadalupe Island in the eastern Pacific, the Guadalupe mesa mint was only known from a single specimen collected by Edward Palmer in 1875. The species wa ...
'' and one species of plant ''
incertae sedis or is a term used for a taxonomy (biology), taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Alternatively, such groups are frequently referred to as "enigmatic taxa". In the system of open nomenclature, uncertainty ...
''


Notes

Its time zone is Pacific Standard Time


References


External links


Sailing directions, with geographical information




– updates on ecosystem {{Authority control Islands of Ensenada Municipality California chaparral and woodlands Ecoregions of Mexico Volcanoes of Baja California Volcanoes of the Pacific Ocean Important Bird Areas of Mexico Important Bird Areas of Oceania Endemic Bird Areas Populated places in Mexico