Like I said, not afraid. Anyway, the two islands we went to were once again again a snorkeling island (that we actually didn't set foot on this time) and a hiking/ animal island. I'll start with the first one- the snorkeling expedition.
The wildlife started out with small fish. During this period, we saw a huge swarm of "Dory" fish swimming past. The school was so long that it took about 10 seconds for them all to swim past. Count in your head for the full effect.
Then, suddenly, the guide called out to us. Swimming over to where he was, we discovered two Galapagos white-tipped sharks! They were elusive, swimming fast away from us at times, but we persevered- or just floated there for a bit, depending on your perspective- and received great views of the shark. We would later witness another one sleeping in a small crack in a rock.
Not long afterwards, the guide pointed out another large animal. It was a grand, big animal, even for its species. It was a playful ball of cuteness- a sea lion! It enjoyed itself and swam in twirls and loops around and under us. It even seemed to befriend my dad, swimming downwards when my dad swam down.
Our second island was the home of the colony of sea lions, with one of the members pictured above. I will present it to you as it was presented to us- in factoids.
- Each cactus has its own iguana waiting under it. It gets its food by waiting for the fruit of the cactus to fall off. As we observed by the "speed-up" of our kind guide, there is a scramble for the piece when it falls, with the fastest iguana and/or the closest one winning.
-Many animals have no predators here in the Galapagos. This is unfortunately illustrated by carcasses lying untouched. One animal even appeared to be petrified. It seemed to have been petrified at the moment of its death, because when we found it, its tail was raised!
-Baby sea lions nurse until they are about one year old. They start training for hunting at about six months, and play a lot to get more practice and toughness. We were lucky enough to see one nursing. When the mom wanted to be finished, she rolled over, but the baby crawled over her. The mother even waddled away, but the baby chased her and forced her to give up. It was an amazing spectacle.
Wildlife report:
Big. Crabs.
Baby marine iguana
Marine iguana
Baby seagull (Yes, it's that dead-looking lump of wet fur.) It is possible that it was just born today.
More iguanas
Incredibly rare Galapagos pygmy seagull
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| Note: hoax. |
Bonus photos!
Sea lion contrast. Some sea lions are very different from one another.
Sea lion that wants a hug. Cuteness Alert!
More Bonus! Because everybody loves bonus!
We saw two amazing and rare things over the course of our journey. One of them was mating manta rays. They splashed in and out of the water as part of the ritual. We saw one out on the boat that leapt about four times its own length.
We also saw an even rarer sight: a hammerhead shark. It was easily recognizable because of its hammer-shaped head, and our guide estimated that it was about 20 feet long. If you've ever met me, that means it was about four times my height! That thing could probably eat me; it was a good thing we saw it from high up on a cliff.
Spanish contest standings:
Mom- 4
Dad- 18
Looks like an awesome trip and love all the creatures. Has your mom gotten sick yet from the boats? I know how much she loved whale watching in Iceland.
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