Reptile Haven

Lava Lizard Male

Mammals rule the world, right? Everywhere you go, mammals are the top land beings, and that's the way it's been for a long time, right? Think about the Galapagos islands - 600 miles off the coast of South America and never connected by land to any other place. Everything living there had to arrive by swimming, flying or floating. By and large, mammals can't swim, fly or float 600 miles across the ocean without water or food. Only two species of bat and one species of rat are native to the islands.

Hawksbill Turtle

Reptiles, on the other hand, negotiated long ocean crossings with no fresh water to establish themselves on islands. The Galapagos are one of the rare ecosystems where the top herbivores are reptiles. They rely on external heat sources, so the equatorial sun is ideal, and they use it to control their body heat. There are 23 species of reptiles in the Galapagos, plus some marine visitors and some introduced species. For the most part, they are endemic to the archipelago, and sometimes endemic to only one island.

Galapagos Tortoise - Santa Cruz Island

The most well known reptiles are the giant tortoises. In 1835 when Darwin arrived, the governor said he could tell which island a tortoise came from just by the shape of its shell. Whalers and pirates found little fresh water, but took many of the tortoises as a living meat source, since they didn't need to be fed or watered before slaughter. For lots of facts about them, check out Wikipedia. Most species reach sexual maturity at 20-25 year, and are estimated to live for at least 150 years!

Galapagos Tortoise - Santa Cruz

We saw them on Santa Cruz, where they grazed in the grass like large cattle. When finished dining, they strolled over to the stream, where they look like rocks sitting in the water. If you get too close, they hiss at you! The island of Pinta has only one surviving member of the subspecies there, and Lonesome George now lives at the Darwin Research Center on Santa Cruz.  They've brought him other tempting females, but no luck in breeding more of his kind.

Land Iguana Female

Ah, but the iguanas are fascinating! There are two species of land iguanas, the Conolophus subcristatus, the most common, and the Conolophus pallidus, only found on Santa Fe. Of course, I realized none of this while we were there, I just enjoyed the yellow, smiling iguanas!  This one is a female...

Land Iguana Male

...while the male has large yellow spines. She can't resist anyone as handsome as this! When Darwin visited in 1835, he had trouble pitching his tent owing to the large number of iguana burrows. Their numbers have been reduced by man and man's introduced animals - dogs, pigs, cats and rats. Studies indicate they live as long as 60 years. They eat the pads and fruit of the Opuntia cactus (a large prickly pear), but will also eat other plants and insects when available.

Marine Iguana Sunbathing

The seven races and subspecies of marine iguana are the only sea-going lizard in the world, and their appearance varies from island to island. This is the classic pose, sprawled out flat on a rock or sand to soak up the sun. When warm enough they swim out to sea to dive up to 30 feet deep eating algae, before returning back to the hot rocks. The grey stuff on their heads is likely to be salt, as they can remove it from their systems and snort it up in the air.

Marine Iguana Cooling

To avoid fatal overheating, they turn to face into the sun, reducing the amount of skin being warmed, or they prop up on a rock so cooler air can reach more skin. This is the Espanola marine iguana, easily identified because of the red skin.

Marine Iguana at Sea

Long strong tails help them swim out to sea, and they can remain submerged for 10 minutes or more. How long can you hold your breath? When El Nino comes and the algae die in the warm water, iguana numbers are sharply reduced.

Lava Lizard Female

The first creatures we saw in the islands were some little lava lizards at the airport on Baltra, and they showed up on every island we visited. The females have red on their face and throat, while the male usually has more patterns on his back. Again, there are seven different species of lava lizards, with those on Floreana and Espanola being endemic to those islands in all the world. Their colors tend to blend in with the rock on whatever island they inhabit.

Lava Lizard Territorial Dispute

On North Seymour, we chanced upon two males along the beach, and as we watch, they whipped their tails around, whapping each other in the face several times. Obviously, some serious territorial dispute was in process.

Lava Lizards - coup de grace

After a minute or two of quiet, we started to walk away, when they both leaped forward, taking a big bite on the other, turning in circles while gnawing away! Not interested in a fight to the death, one finally gave up, let go and ran away.

Striped Galapagos Snake

The field guide lists several species of geckos, which we did not see, but only two species of snakes. We were fortunate enough to find the striped Galapagos snake, which resides on only four of the islands.

Any time we rode in the panga, someone would call, "Sea turtle!", and by the time I looked it had gone back under, but we usually found green turtles while we snorkeled. This green (Galapagos black) turtle explored a mangrove swamp called Black Sea Turtle Cove, where we also tracked the hawksbill turtle pictured earlier in this post. They have beautiful star-burst designs on their shell, making them really easy to identify.

Although reptiles are the most common, there still aren't that many species, many are limited to one island and have endangered status. But reptiles here at home run away when people show up, and these take no interest in you at all. How wonderful!

Sea Lions, not Seals

As far as I could determine, sea lions have very simple goals in life. If they aren't swimming, they are sleeping. If they aren't sleeping, they are swimming. That's about all we saw them doing, and they do it very well.

The sand must get cold during the night, because they like to roll close to each other when sleeping. One morning we took all our snorkel gear to the beach, and spread a towel, trying to keep the sand out of the gear. But this young sea lion decided we brought the towel just for him to nap while protected from the cold sand. Dick lay on a towel next to him, and the pup sniffed briefly, decided Dick was not a source of food, rolled over and went to sleep himself.

We didn't see any beach masters on our trip, but there were plenty of pups. This one is a newborn, evidenced by his still cloudy eyes and wrinkled skin. We were concerned because normally the mother wouldn't leave one this young to go fishing herself.

Mother and pup know each other by scent and the sound of their voices. When a female returns to the beach, unattended pups rush up to her, sniffing and calling loudly. If it is his mother, he quickly settles to nursing on the fat enriched milk. It's important that they put on fat early in life, since that blubber keeps them warm in the chill water of the islands. If it's not his mother, she moves on quickly, and he returns to the search, sounding more piteous each time he fails to find his mother.

One pair of boisterous young males practiced sparing with each other, preparing for the day when they might compete for their own harem on the beach.

Did I mention that sea lions like to sleep no matter what else is going on?

Actually, a soft sandy beach isn't required for a nap at all. They can even climb up a cliff for a snooze on the rocks.

Sea lions can walk on all four flippers, and we found them in some spots far away from the water, and across uncomfortable territory for walking when your belly is this close to the ground. We were sometimes lax in our conversation, calling them seals for short, but Hanzel corrected us. Seals are a different animal, and we shouldn't get in the habit of using the wrong term. Also sea lions have external ears, and seals do not.

I didn't have an underwater camera, but Kevin Loughlin took some terrific sea lion videos on one of his other trips. The rule is, if the sea lion starts to play with you, he's allowed to do what ever he wants - tug on your flippers, blow bubbles in your face, or just swim circles around you, literally! You, on the other hand, cannot initiate any such play, nor do anything to discourage a sea lion biting on your fins. But it's exciting to be included in the sea lion fun any time!

Familiar or Almost Familiar?

Yellow Warblers

"One of the most attractive features of birdwatching in the Galapagos Islands," my field guide, Wildlife of the Galapagos, begins, "is that you can identify most species without being expert. There are only about 60 resident species, and 13 of these are the finches!"  Well, that's certainly good news!  I expected to find only strange and exotic species on our trip, to tell the truth. What the field guide doesn't come right out and say though, is that some of the familiar birds will also count towards your life list, since they are endemic subspecies living only in the Galapagos. Take the Yellow Warblers we saw as soon as we de-planed in Baltra. Its Latin name is Dendroica petechia aureola. I usually pay little or no attention to Latin names, but I'll have to double check them here.

Galapagos Flycatcher

Admittedly, I can't tell any of the Flycatchers apart, but certainly didn't realize this little guy is the Galapagos Flycatcher, Myiarchus magnirostris. Yeah, I know, almost every species there is named Galapagos, or Lava or Darwin, but there is a reason for it after all.

Lava Heron

In most light, the Lava Heron (Butorides striata sundivalli) looks pretty much like a Green Heron, but when the sunset creeps across the black lava along the water's edge, you can see this is a different bird.

Great Blue Heron

I thought this Great Blue Heron would be just a Great Blue Heron like we have in Kentucky, and so it is - Ardea herodias, and the Great Egret is still Ardea alba. The Yellow Heron is the same and the many shore birds - sandpipers, plovers, turnstones, whimbrels, stilts and oyster catchers.  Good thing you can count on some things to remain the same.

Great Flamingo

I thought surely this bright Flamingo would be some sort of subspecies, but find that it is in fact, Phoenicopterus ruber, or Greater Flamingo, not one of the subspecies listed by Sibley. But I've never taken a photo of one flying before, and wanted to include it. 

Galapagos Dove

There are plenty of doves in Kentucky, but this one is clearly different. Just look at the china blue eye ring! (Remember to click on any photo to enlarge it.) The Galapagos Dove (Zenaida galapagoensis) scratches in the dirt like a quail would here. Charles Darwin was able to kill one for the stewpot by throwing his hat at it! When we arrived in Quito, however, we saw lots of Eared Doves (Zenaida auriculata) which lacked the eye ring of this endemic species.

Galapagos Mockingbird

Kentucky has lots of Northern Mockingbirds, but the Galapagos have four different species of endemic Mockingbirds, just the opposite of what I would have expected, had I thought about it at all. The Galapagos Mockingbird (Nesomimus parvulus) itself has six different subspecies restricted to specific islands. This one was found on Santa Cruz. They eat almost anything and are excellent mimics.

Hood Mockingbird

This Hood Mockingbird (Nesomims Macdonaldi) is found only on Espanola, and it has adopted some strange behaviors. Our guide warned us that we would be approached by Hood Mockingbirds on the beach, panhandling for water, since this is one of the islands with no source of fresh water. They have come up with an adaptation for this problem by turning vampire!  This bird pecked on the tail of a marine iguana until it bled, then drank its blood!  Not exactly fresh water, but probably less salty than the sea water.


They tend to gather in groups, vigorously defending their territories, and Kevin got a video of them fighting a gang war over some beach art they created on a different trip. Ain't travel great!

Endemic Means What?

Waved Albatros Pair

"Demic" is a Greek root meaning people or populace, so pandemic means something affecting a wide scope of the populace, and endemic means a population restricted to a locality or region. An endemic species is behind the evolutionary eightball, so to speak, since it only lives in one location, such as the Galapagos, and if something happens to that habitat, they are closer to extinction than other more widespread species. The Galapagos, needless to say, is famous for its high number of endemic species. Not only are they endemic to the Galapagos, but often to only one island in the archipelago.

Waved Albatross Wings Spread

Consider the Waved Albatross which breeds only on the island of Espanola, then takes to the air and spends the rest of its time at sea until it's time to return to Espanola and breed again. It is a long-lived bird with a low reproduction rate, breeding in one location, making it a vulnerable species.

Waved Albatross Courtship

They mate for life, greeting each other with beak clacking, raised beaks and a formalized dance. A single egg is laid on bare ground, sometimes right in the middle of the path taken by visitors, between mid-April and late June, and incubation takes 60 days...

Waved Albatross Chick

...resulting in a baby only a mother would love.  The are fed with pre-digested oil manufactured by the parents from fish and squid. Young birds don't start breeding until their sixth year!

The Waved Albatross has a wingspan of up to 8.2 feet, but can't take off from land unassisted. Albatross Airport is an open field atop a cliff on Espanola Island. The Albatross waddles towards the precipice, wings outstretched, until the wind gives enough lift for takeoff.

Galapagos Penguin

Who expects to see Penguins at the equator? Don't they belong in snowy Antarctica? Well, usually, except for the Galapagos Penguin, of course, the smallest Penguin in the world, and the only one which breeds entirely in the tropics. The current population is estimated to be about 1,400 individuals, found mainly on Fernandina, parts of Isabela, and in small numbers on Bartolome, where we found this little guy. They were seriously affected by El Nino in 1982-3 and 1997-8. The warm waters of El Nino affected its food supply and reduced the population by 75% and 65%, respectively. Numbers are recovering, but its a slow breeder, and faces further trouble with cats, rats and dogs on the main islands.

Lava Gull

The Lava Gull is possibly the rarest or least numerous gull in the world, according to my field guide. They are scavengers and nest robbers, nesting on the ground, often near ports such as Puerto Ayora in Santa Cruz, where we saw our first one. The total population is thought to be only about 400 pairs, so they are definitely vulnerable.

Swallow-tail Gull

The Swallow-tailed Gull is the second of only two gull species in the Galapagos. It is the only nocturnal gull in the world, leaving the nest at dusk and fishing well out to sea. Unsurprisingly, little is known about its feeding habits, but it may have special visual and sonar facilities, making use of the bioluminescence of light-emitting animals in the water. They have a distinctive red eye ring.

Swallow-tail Gull Chick

This persistent chick chased his mother around, tapping on a white spot on her beak until she finally gave in and regurgitated a lump of fish and I-don't-know-what-else, which seemed to satisfy him.

Swallow-tail Gull in Flight

The field guide estimates their numbers at 2-3,000 pairs, breeding throughout the year on beaches, rocky ledges and cliffs producing a single egg every nine or ten months. In the non-breeding season they fly off to the coastal waters of Ecuador and Peru. Due to the isolation of the islands, none of these birds apply the old adage about not putting all your eggs in one basket, or one island, and they are at risk. You can understand why the Park Service is so particular about visitors.

A Crabby Day at Galapagos

As you land on any island from the sea, the first creature you are likely to see is Sally Lightfoot - a crab. Usually we don't think of crabs as beautiful, but this one certainly looks beautiful to me with all those bright colors! Her Latin name is Grapsus grapsus, which my mind read as Graspus graspus, an appropriate name for a crab that hangs on to the rocks when waves come pounding in, I thought.

The mature Sallys are bright red, and immediately visible against the black lava rocks, as they clamber around looking for bits of algae and other edible tidbits.

Youngsters are black as the lava itself, and hard to see until they move, giving them a better chance of survival.

Immature Sallys have spots - no, not crab acne, but a coloration advising other crabs that these aren't yet ready for mating, according to our guide Hanzel.

Hanzel found an unoccupied shell to show us one day. When the crab is ready to moult, it makes a foamy substance to separate its body from the old shell. Then it splits the old shell open, climbs out, and heads for the nearest rock until the new shell can harden. I always thought they would break the old shell into many pieces during this process, but apparently not.

From the right angle, they look like Samurai warriors!

According to seamen's lore, Sally Lightfoot was a night club dancer in the Caribbean. Although wearing hardly anything to cover her divine body, her dress was bright and colorful, red, orange and yellow. By profession, her movements were light and swift. A quick step sideways to avoid the odd hand snatching is her specialty. Easy to find, but hard to catch applies to both dancer and crab!

 John Steinbeck said: "These little crabs, with brilliant cloissoné carapaces, walk on their tiptoes, They have remarkable eyes and an extremely fast reaction time. In spite of the fact that they swarm on the rocks at the Cape [Cabo San Lucas, Baja California], and to a lesser degree inside the Gulf, they are exceedingly hard to catch. They seem to be able to run in any one of four directions; but more than this, perhaps because of their rapid reaction time, they appear to read the mind of their hunter. They escape the long-handled net, anticipating from what direction it is coming. If you walk slowly, they move slowly ahead of you in droves. If you hurry, they hurry. When you plunge at them, they seem to disappear in little puffs of smoke – at any rate, they disappear. It is impossible to creep up on them. They are very beautiful, with clear brilliant colors, reds and blues and warm browns. We tried for a long time to catch them.”

When the ghost crabs cruise the beach, they put bits of sand in their mouths with their pincers, roll it around a bit for taste, then spit the inedible parts back out as little sand balls. The sharp tips of their legs leave a distinct trail of little holes in the sand.

Although Sally Lightfoot is the most common crab, we also found a semi-terrestrial hermit crab on Espanola. Poor thing, every time it moved to the edge of the rock trying to escape us, Hanzel moved it back to the top so we could get good photos. This guy's shell is getting small and he needs to start house hunting!

Watching this Sally move, you can understand by Steinbeck said they could move in all four directions!