Isla Socorro
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Socorro Island () is a
volcanic island Geologically, a volcanic island is an island of volcanic origin. The term high island can be used to distinguish such islands from low islands, which are formed from sedimentation or the uplifting of coral reefs (which have often formed ...
in 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 ...
, a
Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...
possession lying off the country's western coast. The size is , with an area of . It is the largest of the four islands of the Revillagigedo Archipelago. The last eruption was in 1993.


Geology

The island rises abruptly from the sea to in elevation at its summit. Socorro Island is the emerged summit of a massive, predominantly submarine
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 ...
. The island is part of the northern Mathematicians Ridge, a
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 ...
that became largely inactive 3.5 million years ago when activity moved to the
East Pacific Rise The East Pacific Rise (EPR) is a mid-ocean rise (usually termed an oceanic rise and not a mid-ocean ridge due to its higher rate of spreading that results in less elevation increase and more regular terrain), at a divergent tectonic plate bound ...
. All four islands along with the many
seamount A seamount is a large submarine landform that rises from the ocean floor without reaching the water surface (sea level), and thus is not an island, islet, or cliff-rock. Seamounts are typically formed from extinct volcanoes that rise abruptly a ...
s on the ridge are post-abandonment alkaline volcanoes. Socorro Island is unusual in that it is the only dominantly
silicic Silicic is an adjective to describe magma or igneous rock rich in silica. The amount of silica that constitutes a silicic rock is usually defined as at least 63 percent. Granite and rhyolite are the most common silicic rocks. Silicic is the g ...
peralkaline Peralkaline rocks include those igneous rocks which have a deficiency of aluminium such that sodium and potassium are in excess of that needed for feldspar. The presence of aegerine (sodium pyroxene) and riebeckite (sodium amphibole) are indicat ...
volcanic island in the Pacific Ocean. It most recently erupted in late Januaryearly February 1993, which was a submarine flank eruption off the coast from Punta Tosca. An earlier eruption was on May 21, 1951; earlier eruptions probably occurred in 1905, 1896 and 1848. The initial volcanic event probably occurred in 3090BC 500 years. Mount Evermann () is the name given to the summit dome complex, in honor of
ichthyologist Ichthyology is the branch of zoology devoted to the study of fish, including bony fish (Osteichthyes), cartilaginous fish (Chondrichthyes), and jawless fish (Agnatha). According to FishBase, 35,800 species of fish had been described as of March 2 ...
Barton Warren Evermann Barton Warren Evermann (October 24, 1853 â€“ September 27, 1932) was an American ichthyologist. Early life and education Evermann was born in Monroe County, Iowa in 1853. His family moved to Indiana while he was still a child and it was ...
. The island's surface is broken by furrows, small craters, and numerous ravines, and covered in
lava dome In volcanology, a lava dome is a circular, mound-shaped protrusion resulting from the slow extrusion of viscous lava from a volcano. Dome-building eruptions are common, particularly in convergent plate boundary settings. Around 6% of eruptions ...
s,
lava flow Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a Natural satellite, moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a Fissure vent, fractu ...
s 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. There are eight bays surrounding Socorro: three on the southern end of island – Vargas Lozano, Braithwaite, and Lucio Gallardo Pavon; Ensenada Grayson on the southwest; Blanca on the northwest with two inlets separated by a rocky outcropping; and North Bay on the island's north end with two inlets separated by a volcanic formation. There is a naval station, established in 1957, with a population of 250 (staff and families), living in a village with a church, that stands on the western side of Bahía Vargas Lozano, a small cove with a rocky beach, about east of Cabo Regla, the southernmost point of the island. The station is served by a dock, a local helipad and Isla Socorro airport, located six kilometers to the north. There is a fresh water spring about northwest of Cabo Regla, at the shoreline of Ensenada Grayson (or Caleta Grayson). This is
brackish Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estuari ...
and sometimes covered by the sea at high tide. In the 1950s, a small freshwater seep was known to exist some inland at Bahía Lucio Gallardo Pavon (Binner's Cove), northwest of the naval station.


History

No evidence of human habitation on Socorro exists before its discovery by Spanish explorer
Hernando de Grijalva Hernando de Grijalva, who died in 1537 in the course of a crossing of the Pacific Ocean, was a Spanish navigator and explorer in the service of Hernán Cortés. He is known mainly for the discovery of the archipelago of Revillagigedo (1534) and th ...
and his crew on 19 December 1533, who named it ''Santo Tomás'' ("St Thomas Island"; ). In 1542,
Ruy López de Villalobos Ruy López de Villalobos (;  â€“ 23 April 1546) was a Spanish explorer who led a failed attempt to colonize the Philippines in 1544, attempting to assert Spanish control there under the terms of the treaties of Tordesillas and Zaragoza. U ...
, while exploring new routes across the Pacific, rediscovered ''Inocentes'' and renamed it ''Isla Anublada'' ("Cloudy Island") due to the clouds frequently forming on the northern slopes of Mount Evermann, and again in 1608,
Martín Yañez de Armida Martin may refer to: Places Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Europe * Martin, Croatia, a village * Martin, Slovakia, a city * Martín del Río, Aragón, Spain * Martà ...
, in charge of another expedition, visited ''Santo Tomás'' and changed its name to ''Isla Socorro'' after
Our Lady of Perpetual Help Our Mother of Perpetual Succour (), colloquially known as Our Lady of Perpetual Help), is a Catholic Church, Catholic Titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, title of the Blessed Virgin Mary associated with a 15th-century Byzantine art, Byzantine ico ...
(''Virgen del Perpetuo Socorro''). At the beginning of the twentieth century,
Barton Warren Evermann Barton Warren Evermann (October 24, 1853 â€“ September 27, 1932) was an American ichthyologist. Early life and education Evermann was born in Monroe County, Iowa in 1853. His family moved to Indiana while he was still a child and it was ...
, director of the
California Academy of Sciences The California Academy of Sciences is a research institute and natural history museum in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, that is among the largest List of natural history museums, museums of natural history in the world, housing over ...
in San Francisco promoted the scientific exploration of the island. The most comprehensive biological collections were obtained at this time. The volcano on Socorro was renamed in his honor. Archie Smith, an American laborer from San Diego, was marooned on the island for one month in 1929 before being rescued by a passing fishing boat. This was because the expedition that brought him to the island to shear wild sheep returned to port for supplies, but went bankrupt and could not return. In September 1997,
Hurricane Linda The name Linda has been used for eleven tropical cyclones worldwide. In the Eastern Pacific: * Tropical Storm Linda (1985) – minimal tropical storm that crossed into the Central Pacific as a tropical depression. * Hurricane Linda (1991) – Cat ...
passed near the island near peak intensity causing minor damage to meteorological instruments on the island.


Ecology

The lowlands of Socorro – except on the northern, more
humid Humidity is the concentration of water vapor present in the air. Water vapor, the gaseous state of water, is generally invisible to the human eye. Humidity indicates the likelihood for precipitation, dew, or fog to be present. Humidity depe ...
side – are covered with thick shrubland, consisting mainly of
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 ...
''
Croton masonii ''Croton masonii'' is a species of flowering plant in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae. It is a shrub endemic to the Revillagigedo Islands, an archipelago off Mexico's Pacific coast.cactus A cactus (: cacti, cactuses, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae (), a family of the order Caryophyllales comprising about 127 genera with some 1,750 known species. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, ...
, probably
Engelmann's prickly pear ''Opuntia engelmannii'' is a prickly pear common across the south-central and Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. It goes by a variety of common names, including desert prickly pear, discus prickly pear, Engelmann's prickly pear in ...
(''Opuntia engelmannii''). Above and on the northern side, a richer vegetation occurs. This includes small trees such as ''
Ficus ''Ficus'' ( or ) is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes and hemiepiphytes in the family (biology), family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few spe ...
cotinifolia'',
black cherry ''Prunus serotina'', commonly called black cherry,World Economic Plants: A Standard Reference, Second Edition'. CRC Press; 19 April 2016. . p. 833–. wild black cherry, rum cherry, or mountain black cherry, is a deciduous tree or shrub in the r ...
(''Prunus serotina''Probably ssp. ''capuli'' according to
biogeography Biogeography is the study of the species distribution, distribution of species and ecosystems in geography, geographic space and through evolutionary history of life, geological time. Organisms and biological community (ecology), communities o ...
, Brattstrom & Howell (1956) ''contra'' CMICD (2007)
), and the endemic ''
Guettarda ''Guettarda'' is a plant genus in the family Rubiaceae. Most of these plants are known by the common name velvetseed. Distribution Most of the species are Neotropical.David J. Mabberley. 2008. ''Mabberley's Plant-Book'' third edition (2008). C ...
insularis'', which bear
epiphytic An epiphyte is a plant or plant-like organism that grows on the surface of another plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphyt ...
orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Orchids are cosmopolitan plants that are found in almost every habitat on Eart ...
s (''
Epidendrum ''Epidendrum'' , abbreviated Epi in the horticultural trade, is a large neotropical genus of the orchid family. With more than 1,500 species, some authors describe it as a mega-genus. The genus name (from Greek language, Greek ''επί, epi'' an ...
nitens'', '' E. rigidum'' and the endemic ''
Pleurothallis ''Pleurothallis'' is a genus of orchids commonly called bonnet orchids. The genus name is derived from the Greek word , meaning "riblike branches". This refers to the rib-like stems of many species. The genus is often abbreviated as "Pths" in hor ...
unguicallosa''). The native land
fauna Fauna (: faunae or faunas) is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding terms for plants and fungi are ''flora'' and '' funga'', respectively. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively ...
is
depauperate A depauperate ecosystem is an ecosystem characterized by low species richness or species diversity. Such ecosystems will have short or simplified food chains and low trophic complexity compared to those with higher biodiversity, often due to low ...
, with birds predominating and mammals absent. There is one endemic species of
iguanid The Iguanidae is a family of lizards composed of the iguanas, chuckwallas, and their prehistoric relatives, including the widespread green iguana. Taxonomy Iguanidae is thought to be the sister group to the collared lizards (family Crotaphy ...
lizard (''
Urosaurus auriculatus ''Urosaurus auriculatus'', also known as the Socorro Island tree lizard, is a species of lizard. It is endemic to Socorro Island, one of the Revillagigedo Islands off Baja California (Mexico). ''Urosaurus auriculatus'' is found through much of th ...
'') and the
land crab A number of lineages of crabs have evolved to live predominantly on land. Examples of terrestrial crabs are found in the families Gecarcinidae and Gecarcinucidae, as well as in selected genera from other families, such as '' Sesarma'', altho ...
''
Johngarthia oceanica ''Johngarthia oceanica'', also known as Clipperton crab, is a bright orange species of land crab that lives on Clipperton Island and on Socorro Island in the Revillagigedo Islands off Mexico in the tropical eastern Pacific. Prior to 2019, ''J. oc ...
'', which also occurs on
Clipperton Island Clipperton Island ( ; ), also known as Clipperton Atoll and previously as Clipperton's Rock, is an uninhabited French coral atoll in the eastern Pacific Ocean. The only French territory in the North Pacific, Clipperton is from Paris, France ...
. Sheep, cats, and
rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the Order (biology), order Rodentia ( ), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and Mandible, lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal specie ...
s were introduced to the island by human activity; more recently, the
locust Locusts (derived from the Latin ''locusta'', locust or lobster) are various species of short-horned grasshoppers in the family Acrididae that have a swarming phase. These insects are usually solitary, but under certain circumstances they b ...
'' Schistocerca piceifrons'' has also established itself on the island. Unlike the mammals on
Guadalupe Island Guadalupe Island () is a volcanic island located off the western coast of Mexico's Baja California peninsula and about southwest of the city of Ensenada in the state of Baja California, in the Pacific Ocean. The various volcanoes are extinc ...
or Clarión, their impact on the local
flora Flora (: floras or florae) is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. The corresponding term for animals is ''fauna'', and for f ...
was minor, but cat predation has had a drastic effect since the mid-1970s due to the fauna's
island tameness Island tameness is the tendency of many populations and species of animals living on isolated islands to lose their wariness of potential predators, particularly of large animals. The term is partly synonymous with ecological naïveté, which als ...
, and the locusts that swarm twice a year seriously damage vegetation during that time. There have been no recorded
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 ...
ions of plants on Socorro; several birds have been drastically affected by cat predation however, and one
taxon 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 ...
, the
Socorro dove The Socorro dove or Grayson's dove (''Zenaida graysoni'') is a dove species which is extinct in the wild. It was endemic to Socorro Island in the Revillagigedo Islands off the west coast of Mexico. The last sighting in its natural habitat was i ...
, has gone extinct in the wild. Socorro is an important breeding location for several
seabird Seabirds (also known as marine birds) are birds that are adaptation, adapted to life within the marine ecosystem, marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent ...
s, many of which have here one of their north(east)ernmost breeding colonies. The present status of these birds is not well known, and they presumably have suffered from cat predation. In 1953, the following taxa were present: *
Wedge-tailed shearwater The wedge-tailed shearwater (''Ardenna pacifica'') is a medium-large shearwater in the seabird family Procellariidae. It is one of the shearwater species that is sometimes referred to as a muttonbird, like the sooty shearwater of New Zealand and ...
, ''Puffinus pacificus'' (or ''Ardenna pacifica'') * Western
red-billed tropicbird The red-billed tropicbird (''Phaethon aethereus'') is a tropicbird, one of three closely related species of seabird of tropical oceans. Superficially resembling a tern in appearance, it has mostly white plumage with some black markings on the wi ...
, ''Phaethon aethereus mesonauta'' – breeding suspected but not verified *
Nazca booby The Nazca booby (''Sula granti'') is a large seabird of the booby family, Sulidae, native to the eastern Pacific. First described by Walter Rothschild in 1902, it was long considered a subspecies of the masked booby until recognised as distin ...
, ''Sula granti'' – breeding suspected but not verified * Northeast Pacific
brown booby The brown booby (''Sula leucogaster'') is a large seabird of the booby family Sulidae, of which it is perhaps the most common and widespread species. It has a pantropical range, which overlaps with that of other booby species. The gregarious bro ...
, ''Sula leucogaster brewsteri'' – breeding suspected but not verified * East Pacific
great frigatebird The great frigatebird (''Fregata minor'') is a large seabird in the frigatebird family (biology), family. There are major nesting populations in the tropical Pacific Ocean, such as Hawaii and the Galápagos Islands; in the Indian Ocean, colonies ...
, ''Fregata minor ridgwayi'' – breeding suspected but not verified; a doubtfully distinct
subspecies In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...
* East Pacific
sooty tern The sooty tern (''Onychoprion fuscatus'') is a tern in the family Laridae. It is a seabird of the tropical oceans, and remarkably, has evolved the ability to fly for years at a time, skimming the sea surface for food, and returning to land only ...
, ''Onychoprion fuscatus crissalis'' – a doubtfully distinct subspecies * East Pacific
brown noddy The brown noddy or common noddy (''Anous stolidus'') is a seabird in the family Laridae. The largest of the noddies, it can be told from the closely related black noddy by its larger size and plumage, which is dark brown rather than black. The ...
, ''Anous stolidus ridgwayi'' Non-endemic landbirds and
shorebird 245px, A flock of Red_knot.html" ;"title="Dunlins and Red knot">Dunlins and Red knots Waders or shorebirds are birds of the order Charadriiformes commonly found wikt:wade#Etymology 1, wading along shorelines and mudflats in order to foraging, ...
s occur mostly as vagrants or use the island as a stopover during
migration Migration, migratory, or migrate may refer to: Human migration * Human migration, physical movement by humans from one region to another ** International migration, when peoples cross state boundaries and stay in the host state for some minimum le ...
; the
northern mockingbird The northern mockingbird (''Mimus polyglottos'') is a mockingbird commonly found in North America, of the family Mimidae. The species is also found in some parts of the Caribbean, as well as on the Hawaiian Islands. It is typically a permanent B ...
became established in the late 20th century. Among those that are recorded not infrequently are
great blue heron The great blue heron (''Ardea herodias'') is a large wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, common near the shores of open water and in wetlands over most of North and Central America, as well as far northwestern South America, the Caribbea ...
,
Hudsonian curlew The Hudsonian whimbrel (''Numenius hudsonicus'') is a wader in the large family Scolopacidae. It is one of the most widespread of the curlews, breeding across much of subarctic North America. This species and the Eurasian whimbrel have recently b ...
,
spotted sandpiper The spotted sandpiper (''Actitis macularius'') is a small shorebird. Together with its sister species the common sandpiper (''A. hypoleucos''), it makes up the genus ''Actitis''. They replace each other geographically; stray birds may Hybridisati ...
and
wandering tattler The wandering tattler (''Tringa incana''; formerly ''Heteroscelus incanus'': Pereira & Baker, 2005; Banks ''et al.'', 2006), is a medium-sized wading bird. It is similar in appearance to the closely related gray-tailed tattler, ''T. brevipes'' ...
. Unlike the situation on smaller and more isolated Clarión, wind-blown or vagrant birds seem to constitute the bulk of the recorded species, including
brown pelican The brown pelican (''Pelecanus occidentalis'') is a bird of the pelican family, Pelecanidae, one of three species found in the Americas and one of two that feed by diving into water. It is found on the Atlantic Coast from New Jersey to the mouth ...
,
osprey The osprey (; ''Pandion haliaetus''), historically known as sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor, reaching more than in length and a wingspan of . It ...
,
peregrine falcon The peregrine falcon (''Falco peregrinus''), also known simply as the peregrine, is a Cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan bird of prey (raptor) in the family (biology), family Falconidae renowned for its speed. A large, Corvus (genus), cro ...
,
semipalmated plover The semipalmated plover (''Charadrius semipalmatus'') is a small plover. ''Charadrius'' is a Late Latin word for a yellowish bird mentioned in the fourth-century Vulgate. It derives from Ancient Greek ''kharadrios'' a bird found in ravines and ri ...
,
willet The willet (''Tringa semipalmata'') is a large shorebird in the family Scolopacidae. It is a relatively large and robust sandpiper and is the largest of the species called "shanks" in the genus ''Tringa''. Its closest relative is the lesser yell ...
,
sanderling The sanderling (''Calidris alba'') is a small wading bird. The name derives from Old English ''sand-yrðling'', "sand-ploughman". The genus name is from Ancient Greek ''kalidris'' or ''skalidris'', a term used by Aristotle for some grey-colour ...
,
belted kingfisher The belted kingfisher (''Megaceryle alcyon'') is a large, conspicuous water kingfisher, native to North America. Taxonomy The first Species description, formal description of the belted kingfisher was by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1 ...
and
buff-bellied pipit The American pipit (''Anthus rubescens''), formerly known as the buff-bellied pipit, is a small songbird native to North America. It was first described by Marmaduke Tunstall in his 1771 ''Ornithologia Britannica''. It was formerly classified as ...
. It may be that this puzzling observation is due to the presence of the
red-tailed hawk The red-tailed hawk (''Buteo jamaicensis'') is a bird of prey that breeds throughout most of North America, from the interior of Alaska and northern Canada to as far south as Panama and the West Indies. It is one of the most common members of ...
s and cats, which has at least made the local ''
Urosaurus ''Urosaurus'' is a genus of lizards, commonly known as tree lizards or brush lizards, belonging to the New World family Phrynosomatidae. They are native to North America, specifically the arid and semiarid regions of the western United States and ...
'' more wary than its relative on Clarión, and might deter passing birds from stopping on Socorro.


Endemism

Being the largest of the Revillagigedo Islands and closer to mainland than
Clarion Clarion may refer to: Music * Clarion (instrument), a type of trumpet used in the Middle Ages * The Register (music), register of a clarinet that ranges from B4 to C6 * A Trumpet (organ stop), trumpet organ stop that usually plays an octave abov ...
, Socorro sports a rich array of endemic
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 ...
, mainly plants and landbirds as well as lizards. Some are threatened due to the presence of feral cats.


Animals

*
Socorro parakeet The Socorro parakeet (''Psittacara brevipes''), known in aviculture as the Socorro green conure or Socorro conure, is a species of bird in subfamily Arinae of the family Psittacidae, the African and New World parrots. It is endemic to Socorro Is ...
, ''Aratinga brevipes'' (
endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...
) * Socorro
red-tailed hawk The red-tailed hawk (''Buteo jamaicensis'') is a bird of prey that breeds throughout most of North America, from the interior of Alaska and northern Canada to as far south as Panama and the West Indies. It is one of the most common members of ...
, ''Buteo jamaicensis socorroensis'' * Socorro
common ground dove The common ground dove (''Columbina passerina'') is a small bird that inhabits the southern United States, parts of Central America, the Caribbean and northern South America. It is considered to be the smallest dove that inhabits the United State ...
, ''Columbina passerina socorroensis'' *
Socorro elf owl The elf owl (''Micrathene whitneyi'') is a small grayish-brown owl about the size of a sparrow found in the Southwestern United States, central Mexico, and the Baja California peninsula. It has pale yellow eyes highlighted by thin white "eyebrow ...
, ''Micrathene whitneyi graysoni'' (probably
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 ...
since c. 1970) *
Socorro mockingbird The Socorro mockingbird (''Mimus graysoni'') is an endangered mockingbird endemic to Socorro Island in Mexico's Revillagigedo Islands. The specific epithet commemorates the American ornithologist Andrew Jackson Grayson. ''Mimus graysoni'' shows ...
, ''Mimodes graysoni'' (
critically endangered An IUCN Red List critically endangered (CR or sometimes CE) species is one that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild. As of December 2023, of t ...
) * Socorro
yellow-crowned night heron The yellow-crowned night heron (''Nyctanassa violacea''), is one of two species of night heron in genus ''Nyctanassa''. Unlike the black-crowned night heron, which has a worldwide distribution, the yellow-crowned is restricted to the Americas. I ...
, ''Nycticorax violaceus gravirostris'' (or ''Nyctanassa violacea gravirostris'') * Socorro tropical parula, ''Parula pitiayumi graysoni'' * Socorro towhee, ''Pipilo (maculatus) socorroensis'' *
Townsend's shearwater Townsend's shearwater (''Puffinus auricularis'') is a rare seabird of the tropics from the family Procellariidae. Taxonomy Its relationships are unresolved. Its closest relatives are probably, but not certainly, the Hawaiian shearwater (''Puffi ...
, ''Puffinus auricularis'' (critically endangered; recently extirpated from San Benedicto and probably Clarión) *
Socorro wren The Socorro wren (''Troglodytes sissonii'') is a species of bird in the family Troglodytidae. It is endemic to Socorro Island, Mexico. It was formerly placed in '' Thryomanes'' but was moved to ''Troglodytes'' considering "manners, song, plumage ...
, ''Troglodytes sissonii'' (
near threatened A near-threatened species is a species which has been Conservation status, categorized as "Near Threatened" (NT) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as that may be vulnerable to Endangered species, endangerment in the ne ...
) *
Socorro dove The Socorro dove or Grayson's dove (''Zenaida graysoni'') is a dove species which is extinct in the wild. It was endemic to Socorro Island in the Revillagigedo Islands off the west coast of Mexico. The last sighting in its natural habitat was i ...
, ''Zenaida graysoni'' (
extinct in the wild A species that is extinct in the wild (EW) is one that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as only consisting of living members kept in captivity or as a naturalized population outside its historic range ...
) * ''
Urosaurus auriculatus ''Urosaurus auriculatus'', also known as the Socorro Island tree lizard, is a species of lizard. It is endemic to Socorro Island, one of the Revillagigedo Islands off Baja California (Mexico). ''Urosaurus auriculatus'' is found through much of th ...
'' (endangered)


Plants

According to
Plants of the World Online Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online taxonomic database published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. History Following the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew launched Plants of the World Online i ...
there are 21 species of plant that are strictly endemic to the island. In addition there are five more species that are endemic to the Revillagigedo Archipelago growing on both Socorro and one of the other islands. There are also an endemic
variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
of paintbrush flower, ''
Castilleja bryantii ''Castilleja'', commonly known as paintbrush, Indian paintbrush, or prairie-fire, is a genus of about 200 species of annual and perennial mostly herbaceous plants native to the west of the Americas from Alaska south to the Andes, northern Asia, ...
'' var. ''socorrensis'', and a
subspecies In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...
named '' Lepechinia hastata'' subsp. ''socorrensis'' in addition to other species that are native, but not endemic.


Visiting information

Socorro Island is a popular
scuba diving Scuba diving is a Diving mode, mode of underwater diving whereby divers use Scuba set, breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface breathing gas supply, and therefore has a limited but variable endurance. The word ''scub ...
destination known for underwater encounters with
dolphin A dolphin is an aquatic mammal in the cetacean clade Odontoceti (toothed whale). Dolphins belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontopori ...
s,
shark Sharks are a group of elasmobranch cartilaginous fish characterized by a ribless endoskeleton, dermal denticles, five to seven gill slits on each side, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the ...
s,
manta ray Manta rays are large Batoidea, rays belonging to the genus ''Mobula'' (formerly its own genus ''Manta''). The larger species, ''Giant oceanic manta ray, M. birostris'', reaches in width, while the smaller, ''Reef manta ray, M. alfredi'', reac ...
s and other
pelagic The pelagic zone consists of the water column of the open ocean and can be further divided into regions by depth. The word ''pelagic'' is derived . The pelagic zone can be thought of as an imaginary cylinder or water column between the sur ...
animals. Divers visit here on live-aboard dive vessels. The most popular months are between November and May when the weather and seas are calmer. November to December are popular months to visit for a good chance to dive with whale sharks. January and February are popular months to scuba dive with humpback whales as they are then migrating through the Revillagigedo archipelago.


See also

*
List of volcanoes in Mexico Volcanoes in Mexico form a significant part of the country's geological landscape, with numerous active and extinct volcanoes scattered throughout the nation. These volcanoes are primarily located within the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, a major v ...


Notes


References


External links


Socorro Endemic Bird Area (BirdLife International)
{{Authority control Revillagigedo Islands Volcanoes of Colima Volcanoes of the Pacific Ocean Polygenetic shield volcanoes Underwater diving sites in Mexico Endemic Bird Areas