Where on Earth...? MISR Mystery Image Quiz #5 The islands are
the Galapagos, situated in the Pacific Ocean roughly 1000
kilometers west of mainland Ecuador. The image is oriented with
north toward the bottom and was acquired during Terra orbit
9878. Answers to the TRUE/FALSE questions are as follows: 1.
There are no endemic species of cactus on any of the islands.
Endemic genera of cacti include Brachycereus and Jasminocereus,
the lava and candelabra cactus, respectively. 2. Flamingos,
whose diets include crustaceans, tiny fish, and algae, can be
found wading in brackish lagoons. Greater flamingos are
primarily seen on Floreana and other southern islands. 3. A
change in ocean temperature associated with an episodic
disruption in atmospheric circulation led to a precipitous
decline in the local penguin population. The Galapagos penguin
population declined alarmingly during 1972 and 1998, when
nutrients and fish were less abundant due to warmer surface
waters associated with an El Niño event. 4. Discovery of th