Researchers capture view of Darwin's Arch before it collapsed

A last look at Darwin's Arch

The MigraMar ocean research organization captured video footage of the iconic arch not long before it collapsed into the sea off Darwin Island.

The famed Galapagos rock formation Darwin's Arch is no more, Ecuador's environment ministry has said.

The iconic arch collapsed into the sea off Darwin Island on May 17 due to "natural erosion," the ministry said. The area is one of the best places on the planet to dive and observe schools of sharks and other marine species, the ministry said.

Rosario Alvarez, director of the MigraMar ocean research organization, told Storyful she believed she and her team were "the last to see the arch before its collapse."

"It's surprising how evolution never stops in the Galapagos Islands," MigarMar said in a Facebook post. "This iconic landscape will cease to be a bow, but its underwater life will only disappear if we don't protect migratory species outside the marine reserve and on their routes to other marine protected areas."

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