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.

Galapagos Land Iguana

Today we have have the last of the land iguana as we prepare to leave South Plaza Island. I'm pretty sure that this partial creature in the foreground is a sea lion.

Lava Gull and Galapagos Land Iguana

Some of these animals seem to be a strange hodgepodge of adaptations. The laval gull is colored nicely to match the laval where it nests, but them has pink/orange/red feet! Go figure. On the other hand, the small crab on the rock just below the gull does a great job of blending in with the background.

Land Iguana, Blue-Footed Boobie, and Lava Gull

These iguana are indeed striking creatures. I'm quite sure that if these fellows were not herbivores, I'd not be so close to them.

Land Iguanas and Lava Lizards

The image above seems to summarize much of the Galapagos: a land iguana, a laval lizard, and a chunk of lava. 

South PLaza Island - III

South Plaza Island is not limited to providing habitat only to Galapagos land iguana, here we also find birds. Here is a small ground finch.

South Plaza Island - II

The land iguanas are everywhere there is a bit of shade on this small island. Most of that shade is under a prickly pear cactus which these fellow love to eat.

South Plaza Island

On this day we took a boat ride around Santa Cruz to the small South Plaza island (not far from the North Plaza Island) to see the animals there. We transferred from the boat to a zodiac to head into the shore. when we arrived, there was a "swarm" of sea lions frollicking in the water beside where the boat docked. 

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.

Sally Lightfoot and Blue-Footed Booby

This crab is called the sally lightfoot crab. They get their name, perhaps, after a Caribbean dancer.

The Blue-Footed Booby

This booby is a handsome bird. This one is giving me lots of time to get some portraits while he sits, preens, and relaxes before the next hunt for food.