Crab Dinner
Instead of looking at crab on your dinner plate, check out this crab cleaning his dinner plate.
Santiago Island
There were some beautiful rock formations on Santiago Island and lots of different animals were there to enjoy them. We saw some very large sea lions on the beach when we first arrived and also many mothers with their pups.
Sea Lions in Action
This sea lion pup was trying to get his mom to pay more attention.
Marine Iguanas
The marine iguanas were active in the water as they fed on the sea lettuce and algae off the rocks. Their strong legs and long claws helped them stay in place despite the push of the waves and the pull of the tide.
Iguanas in Action
The push of the waves and the pull of the tides did not deter these marine iguanas from their meal.
Sally Lightfoot Crabs
These large crabs were everywhere. They are fast moving and very agile. When they move it looks as if they are walking on their tiptoes. Sally Lightfoot, according to ancient sea lore, was a dancer in the Caribbean who wore bright red dresses. Because of their speed and grace, these crabs were named after the dancer.
Blue Footed Boobies
The bright blue feet, which are important in the mating rituals of this bird, stand out from a distance so they are easy to notice. They have interesting hunting techniques which involves diving from great heights ( 30 to 100 feet) into the ocean. Since they can hit the water at speeds around 60 mph, they have air sacs in their head that are specially designed to protect their brains from such force.
Tide Pool Discoveries
While exploring Santiago Island, we discovered some cool tide pool organisms, including the spiny pencil sea urchin, Padina lobata seaweed, and some very large barnacles.
Birds, Rocks, and a Shark or Two
Some of the birds we saw on the island were the blue-eyed Galapagos Island dove, the Whimbrel, and the Galapagos lava heron. The lava flows and natural bridges created some interesting formations for us to explore. While climbing over the rocks, we looked down and saw a couple of black finned reef sharks hanging out in the calm water below us.
Further Inland
As we moved away from the coast, the terrain changed. We found ourselves in an area with tall grasses, giant prickly pear cactus, red carpet plants, and our old friend, the lava lizard.
