We took a walk along the shoreline with Bitini (the lead naturalist) and came across scores of marine iguanas, sea lions & sally lightfoot crabs. None of these animals seemed to care that we were getting up close and personal with our cameras. They have no fear of humans, things are different on Galapagos. With the isolation comes change & on these islands - both the isolation & adaptations have been extreme & therefore quite noticeable - this is what caught Darwin´s eye! One truly fascinating aspect is the isolation from predators including man himself. As a result the animals have not adapted to flee or shy away when approached - result for us!
Next we came across a sea lion cub that had obviously only been born in the previous few hours. The mother and her cub were clearly going through a bonding process. It was incredible to be right there to witness it. What a privilege. But the action didn´t stop there. A little further along there was an inlet where one could look down on the crystal clear waters. There, minding his own business, was a large sea turtle. This is what the Galapagos is all about.
Before heading back to the ship we had an opportunity to go snorkeling off the beach. 10 minutes later we found ourselves nose to nose with another large turtle, only this time all three of us were in the water. He came right up to me (Dave) & it became clear that I would have to be the one to get out of his way. I couldn´t resist touching his shell as he went past. What an experience. There were octopus and countless fish to be seen also, but the turtle stole the show.
Back on board for lunch while the ship navigated to the other side of Santiago to an Island called Bartolome.
Sea lion takes 50 winks.
It´s a hard life!
How cute am I?
Baby Sea Lion
You you looking at me?
“Christmas” marine iguanas are identified with traces of red and green colorings!
Yellow Warbler
Sally Lightfoot Crab
2 unidentified species!
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