Tuesday, July 27, 2021

Galapagos Part 4: Babies, Boobies, & Sea Lions

A marine iguana lounging on the shore of Espanola Island.  These guys were so cool because after swimming in the ocean, they sneeze out salt water. The salty water shoots out of their nostrils and lands on their foreheads, giving them a white spot on their nose. 

Iguanas were EVERYWHERE on this island.   
They would lay all over each other, spooning for warmth in the morning.  



We were so lucky to encounter a newborn sea lion that was only one day old! It still had the umbilical cord and the placenta was nearby.  Totally adorable!! 

We were SO CLOSE!  The baby walked across our path.  



The famous Blue Footed Booby.  This color is fantastic!


The male lifts up his feet to "dance" for the female in a courting ritual.  If she likes him, she mirrors his movements and it's a match! 





We witnessed the moment of hatching of a baby Albatross bird.  Such a beautiful experience!  Fun fact: parents mate for life! 



More babies!  This is a baby Blue Footed Booby



The animals on Galapagos are NOT AFRAID of humans, because we are neither predators nor a source of food.  See how close the birds are to our rocky path, and they didn't even move away when we walked right next to them.  It makes it so special to be this close to wild animals.





An ocean-made geyser is formed when the tide fills up the rocky channels, spitting water up 30-40 feet and then creating a little rainbow.  

My mom and our guide walking on the beach while sea lions are sunbathing nearby


On the way back to the boat on the last day, the crew dressed like pirates and threw a little party for us.  We celebrated our last night on the boat with "canelazo" (citrus, sugar cane alcohol, cinnamin, & cloves served warm).


Octopus for dinner on the last night - what a special treat!

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