Marine Iguana

 

Not entirely clear why this place is named Tortuga Bay since it is thick with marine iguana. Perhaps at a different time of year...

Marine Iguana and Brown Pelican

I'm quite certain that should one of these crawl up on my bed, I'd levitate somewhere near the ceiling. Not that they are likely to do that since they are plant eaters and not interested in me.

On the Beach at Tortuga Bay

The sally lightfoot crab is ubiquitous on the Galapagos Islands and their bright colors make them quite eye-catching.

Walking to Tortuga Bay

Like the finches, mockingbirds come in a variety of species. This one is the Galapagos mockingbird and can be found on all the islands except three. those three island each have their own endemic species.

Birds on Santa Cruz Island

The Galapagos flycatcher above is sitting on a limb waiting for the next insect he wants to eat to come by.

Denizens of the Shore

The ubiquitous sally lightfoot crab is out for a bit of sun. The camouflage is interesting. It both blends in with the rocks with it's spotted markings and stands out because it a pretty big crab.

Galapagos Mocking Bird and a Brown Pelican

Last time, I showed you this handsome mockingbird sitting high on a bare limb. Here he is near the ground and closer to me. He's quite a interesting bird.

Along the Beach and then Inland

A common sight along all the beaches we visited we the sally lightfoot crabs. Named for a dancer of yore, these can curry all over the rocks with ease.

A Tortoise and a Sea Lion

In his usual slow motion way, this tortoise is preparing to get a drink of (fairly nasty looking) water. Note that you can just see the remains of several meals on his mouth.

A Duck and More Tortoises

Above is the white-cheeked pintail duck. These fellows are found from as far north as southern Florida and as a far south as the southern tip of South America. This one is just chillin' by the small pond where the tortoises are hanging out.

Tortoises Hanging Out

In addition to growing moss on their skin, they also seem to not lick their lips either.

Tortoises Everywhere

If you ever wondered how you'd clean yourself if you lived outside, ate off the ground, and had no hands to wipe your mouth with, here you go. Not exactly the neatest critters around.

Santa Cruz Island and the Tortoises

So, we wrapped up our adventure ion San Cristóbal Island, boarded a boat to Santa Cruz Island, dropped our luggage and headed out to the center of the island to a tortoise farm.