Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Galapagos Adventures Day 2


The Galapagos Islands are an archipelago - a small cluster of islands and today we took a 2-hour boat ride to Isla Isabela.  We were able to see sea lions, marine iguanas and a flamingo. Even before stepping two feet off the dock, we saw a group of baby sea lions napping under the mangrove.  


Next we crossed the island to see the marine iguanas.  These land warriors live in a tough habitat surrounded by black lava rock, hot sun and the crashing surf.  Their average life span is between 15-18 years.  



 We visited these aquatic warriors during mating season so we were able to watch the females dig in the sand and lay their eggs.  Here is a video of two males fighting over a females nest.  



Near the shore of the marine iguana we were able to jump off the dingy and snorkel near the rocky coast line.  I saw parrot fish, rainbow fish and even a sea lion gliding by the water only feet from my hands.  Our day in the Galapagos ended with lunch near the beach, stopping by a lagoon to see an indigenous flamingo to the South America region, and a long boat ride back to Santa Cruz.


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