Galapa-going Crazy About All The Animals

We have been in the Galapagos for almost a month now, and we have two days left. We were both a bit thrashed and sunburned, so we took a day off to get some projects done.

So here is one of my projects:

I just wanted to share some photos of the animals around here. There is quite a variety, and only a small percentage is accounted for in this post because the GoPro pooped out right after we got here and we missed a bunch of video opportunities.

Tam and I are both continuously amazed at how close the animals will let you get on the islands. I can say, without exaggeration, that as you walk around the streets and paths and beaches, you have to be careful not to step on anything. None of them has any fear, and so just lay around in the way all day and night. We are constantly having to step off the trails or off the sidewalks in town to avoid sea lions, birds, iguanas, and turtles. Sometimes you just have to jump or step over, or wait for a particularly slow turtle to cross.

I think, for both of us, the hardest thing is to not sit down and give the sea lions snuggles and scratches. It seems like they would love it. I know we would…

I have to apologize right now for some of the lame comments I have edited into my pictures (they border on bad dad jokes). I couldn’t help it, and I am a dad, so sue me.

Let’s start with the reptiles. I mean, really, what is more iconic to these islands than the Galapagos Tortoise? Or the Marine Iguana? I try to take it all seriously — thank god I am not here in some professional capacity — but I just can’t. I have to assume that Darwin spent all of his time here laughing at the hilarious looks on the tortoise’s and iguana’s faces too. I have no idea how they always manage to have such human-appearing expressions.

The crab sat up there for at least five minutes while we were watching. He was still sitting on the iguana’s back when we walked off. They just don’t care about anything.

I love the constant blissful looks on their faces. I feel like it must be really relaxing to be an iguana on these islands.

I love this one… It’s like something out of a sci-fi horror movie.

This wise-looking old guy…

I guess the turtles are really happy to be here as well.

… and I absolutely love how happy Tam is to see them!

Uh, yeah, sorry.

And there are birds on these islands as well. I am not much of a bird guy, unlike Tam, who can stare at t bird for three hours and go on and on (and on and on and on and on and on) about how this bird has a one millimeter shorter beak than some other variety. I usually reserve my excitement for the more obvious birds:

This Night heron is cool, and, like everything else on these islands, he just stood there and let me take pictures.

Flamingoes (flamingos?) are always fun to watch.

Yeah, sorry again.

Here on the Galápagos Islands, there is a real treat: you can swim with penguins!

In warm water!

Okay, so maybe not this one.

We did actually get to swim with them on Isabela Island, but, again, no video of that because of that dead GoPro. Swimming with penguins has long been on our list of hoped-for experiences, but we were unwilling to travel to Antarctica or swim in freezing cold water, so we had to get out to Isabela on this trip (they only live on two of the more than one hundred islands/islets that make up the archipelago).

Swimming with penguins: check.

I wanted to include the pelicans in that video — mostly because this is the only place in the world where you can watch Noddies land on their heads in this way (which is super hilarious to watch) — but also just because pelicans are my favorite birds. They are the dorkiest, most cumbersome things on land, but get them in the air and they are the most graceful thing. I love watching them effortlessly cruising the updrafts in front of waves while I am out surfing.

Sadly, I don’t have video of the hours and hours I have spent watching them cruise the waves, so you will have to take my word for it (there was something about a broken GoPro?).

I really do love these birds. For as ungainly as they are, there is a real beauty about them.

I did manage to get some fun video from the shore of sea lions surfing. They are so much fun to watch in the waves. They actually do this primarily for play, but it serves to teach the young ones maneuverability and improve their success at hunting.

But mostly it is play.

On San Cristobal the sea lions are a bunch of lazy buggers, and they occupy pretty much every flat surface in town, and on the beaches, and even the roads.

But they do look pretty blissful most of the time.

But, I guess if I could sleep this well anywhere, at any time, I would probably be pretty chilled-out also.

This one seems to have it figured out. It’s good to find a comfy spot. All those others napping away on hard benches and concrete stairs could take a lesson from the comfort-master here.

Like this one… literally “in the gutter”.

And, finally, these two. I couldn’t resist. The look on his face was just too funny.

Thanks for making it to the end… I hope it wasn’t too painful.