In December 1831, the British naval ship HMS Beagle set sail from England on a five year long trip around to the world. On board was Charles Darwin a 22 year old, as the naturalist (a person that studies nature). His job was to learn and write about living things on their voyage. His observations led to his theory: Theory of Evolution CHARLES DARWIN

Darwin observed some of the greatest diversity of life forms on the Galapagos Island, a group of small Islands off the coast of South America. WHAT DID DARWIN FIND?

Giant tortoises Seals covered with fur Lizards that ate nothing but cactus plants Plants and animals were similar to those plants and animals on the main island WHAT DID DARWIN FIND?

Large birds called Cormorants: on the main island they were able to fly but on the smaller islands they were not able to fly. The Iguanas on the main island had large claws, for helping them eat seaweed on slippery rocks but the Iguanas on the smaller islands had smaller claws for them to climb trees and eat leaves. WHAT WAS DIFFERENT?

The tortoises on one island had domed- shaped shells while other tortoises had saddle shaped shells. Local people told Darwin that they could tell what island the tortoises came from based of the shape of their shell. WHAT WAS DIFFERENT?

Finches were noticeably different form one island to the next. The most noticeable difference was their beaks. He noticed that each bird was well suited to the life it led. For example: Finches Eat Insects: Sharpe, needlelike beaks Eat Seeds: strong wide beaks Beak shape is an example of and adaptation, a trait that helps an organism survive and reproduce. ADAPTATIONS

Over the next 20 years, consulting with other scientist, gathering more data and thinking about his ideas, Darwin thought that the species gradually changed over many generations and became better adapted to the new conditions. The gradual change in a species over time is called evolution. EVOLUTION

Scientific theory is well- tested concepts that explains a wide range of observations. SCIENTIFIC THEORY