Or, if you are in the Galapagos, a friendly sea lion…
We have seen so many sea lions you would think I would be tired of them by now. But, honestly, I just can’t get enough of them! I love their little puppy-like faces with the long whiskers and sleepy black eyes. I admire the way they doze a little bit, open their eyes to check things out, look around and then settle back in for a few more winks of sleep, indifferent to the things that are happening around them. We should all take a lesson from them. What a way to live!
The sea lions have to be my favorite of all the creatures I have seen on this journey. As a resident of California, this was certainly not my first encounter with this type of animal. But, here in the Galapagos, it is a different experience. These special creatures are very curious and playful. They have no problem waddling right up to you and greeting you with their unique “honks” or swimming up to you in the water and tickling you with their whiskers. And, honestly, their faces are so cute, that I don’t know how one could not like them. We saw them in the water, on the rocks, and sleeping on benches.
Here’s a photo of a mother and baby. The baby is nursing. I thought it was quite special that I would see this.
This is one of my favorite photos.
In the afternoon of the last day, we had free time to walk around the city and do some shopping. Our guide suggested that we take a look at the “fish market”. So, after I did my shopping, I wandered over to the section of the waterfront. It wasn’t as elaborate as some other of the markets I have encountered on my travels. There were 2 women at a long table selling 3 different types of fish, each stacked in a small pile. It was just these 2…no other people….no other fish. But, when I looked under the table, I saw that they had a “sea lion helper”. I watched this comical scene for a long time. The sea lion stood between the 2 women and waited with his nose just under one of the stacks of fish….hoping for something to fall.Every now and then, the sea lion would nudge one of the women and they would push it away. Finally, after several nudges, one of the women would throw it some fish.
The sea lion would savor this delight and then resume his stance, nose pointed at the stack of fish. It was like a little dance. I couldn’t look away! It was so funny!
As much as I loved the sea lions, I have seen some other incredible wildlife as well during our tour of the Galapagos Islands in a variety of different settings. Many of them are “endemic” to the Galapagos (they only live here), so it makes it even more special to be a part of their world here, if only for a short time.
During the course of the cruise, we went out several times on the “Zodiacs” where we have been able to get up close and personal to the water creatures that hug the waterline edges of the craggy lava and rock masses that protrude from the water, as well as the birds that call these outcroppings home.
We also visited, by “Zodiac”, the sea creatures that live in the murky waters of the mangroves.
In both of these settings, we have been so close to them that it would be possible to touch them, if that were allowed. It’s not. So, we just observe…and take pictures. Sometimes the birds flit around as they hear the noise of the “Zodiacs”, but mostly, they just briefly inspect us without moving and then look away. They seem not to have any fear as they watch. It’s as if they saying, “Welcome to my home. Be at your ease.”
We have seen “frigate birds” and “blue footed boobies” everywhere. These 2 birds have something of a symbiotic relationship with each other. The “frigate birds” are scavengers. They are not able to find their own food. So, you often find them near the “blue footed boobies” that are diving into the water for food. Several times, we watched as the “frigate birds” snatched food from the “boobies”. It was quite comical.
The “blue footed boobies” are quite spectacular looking with their blue eyes and blue feet. When they come into land or dive into the water for food, they spread their wings widely and expose their blue feet. Everyone, including the guides who see this every day hoped, each time we went out to look at these creatures, that we could get a picture of them coming in for a landing. It would be an award-winning shot….if you could get it.
The “frigate birds” are quite large. When in flight, they pick up the thermal currents of the wind and never move their wings. The wings stay outstretched and they just glide in the air. Even though they are a nuisance to the “boobies”, they look quite elegant as they sail along.
We saw all types of birds that I would love to be able to name here, but I am not a “birder” and, so, don’t have all of the names in my head. But, they included the Darwin finch, sea gulls of all types, Galapagos mocking birds, penguins and more.
We also saw many marine iguanas. These prehistoric-looking creatures are endemic to the Galapagos Islands and they are everywhere there is water. Often we would see them together with crabs of all types and colors that scurried along the rocks looking for food and escaping some of the waves. Sadly, there is a real shortage of food for the iguanas and, in addition to those that were alive, we also saw many skeletons and bodies in different stages of decay. That part was very sad. We also saw a few baby sea lions that were not well. We didn’t know why. But, it was sad to see some of them struggle for breath. It brought tears to my eyes.
On the last days, we visited a turtle farm and a ranch where the old turtles roam free. These turtles are also endemic to the Galapagos. Many of them are quite large and very old. We looked at some that were heading towards 100 years. One of them had moss growing on its shell. One of our guides said that the oldest recorded age of one of these turtles was about 200 years. It was incredible to see them slowly moving around with their heavy shells.
We learned that the turtles don’t have any hearing, but they can feel vibrations on the ground. And, they were not as bold as the other animals we saw. They become very frightened when they feel the vibrations of people walking along and see people. At the last farm we visited, we heard something that sounded like a hiss. The guide explained that this was not a hiss, but the sound that the head of the turtle makes as it retracts back into the shell when it is afraid.
I wish I could retract into a shell when I am afraid…..but, I wouldn’t want to carry the shell around. The weight of the turtle is almost all shell, and can weigh several hundred pounds. I think I have a back issue now. Imagine if I had to carry a shell around.
I am again blown away by the amount of information we learned about all of the animals the in the Galapagos and the ability of the guides to point things out that we would never find on our own. Just amazing!
As I think about it, at the end of the day, I will still take the carefree sea lion above the other animals in the sea. When I get back to California, I will view our local brothers of these sea lions with love……
Happiness is a friendly sea lion.
Travel With Betsy 
February 28, 2016 at 7:50 pm |
Betsy! It looks like you’re having a fantastic time. Keep the pictures coming please, they get me through these cold winter days.