Darwin visited the galapagos islands while on a journey aboard the beagle. which observation led darwin to start thinking about evolution? . a. the animals on the galapagos islands were recognizable as similar to their counterparts in other regions of world, but had a range of noticeable differences from those counterparts. many animals also had small variations from island to island.. b. the animals on the galapagos islands were recognizable as similar to their counterparts in other regions of world, but were smaller than those counterparts. many animals also had small variations from is