Every time we leave and reboard the ship, we are supposed to move a peg on the Status Board. If someone forgets (and, inevitably, someone forgets) to move their peg back when they board, the staff goes looking for you to make sure we’re not leaving anyone behind.
We hiked this morning at Urbana Bay on the west side of Isabela. This area experienced a dramatic uplift in 1954, when 1.5 square km rose almost instantly by up to 15 feet. Marine creatures were trapped on the surface, which is how they know it happened so quickly. It was difficult to imagine that the trail was the seabed only 68 years ago, as foliage proliferates and land creatures are quite at home. Stark lava rocks flank a wide beach, where some people swam after the walk.
The pilot whale skull was placed here by park rangers after the whale’s carcass washed ashore. Our guide is holding the dried (and “still stinky”) remains of a small shark.
Female Galapagos tortoises are starting to lay their eggs. A new tortoise nest above the high water level was marked by a stake to keep people from treading in the vulnerable area. When the babies hatch, they make a mad dash for safety in the nearby surf. The hatchlings emerge with a full set of plates comprising their carapace. The plates grow in size as the tortoise ages, and are somewhat flexible where they are connected until around age 20 when the plates have fully fused (sort of like how the soft spot in a baby’s skull doesn’t close over until about a year after birth). Those in the know can determine the approximate age of a tortoise but examining the wear on the carapace. The centers of each plate are surrounded by concentric rings (like rings on a tree) and those nearest the centers fade with age.
Our walk today was easy, only 1/2 mile and flat. I went barefoot, but had regrets near the end as the sand was getting very hot, and we had to cross a small rocky section that was the beach before the uplift. We were looking for birds and some land animals. We didn’t have long to wait.
Like a giant traffic obstacle, a Galapagos tortoise lay on the trail. In Darwin’s time (1835), there were 15 species. Today, only eleven remain.
The tortoises on Isabela have domed shells. They feed off food close to the ground. Some other tortoises have saddle-backed shells, which allow them to stretch their necks upwards to feed off of bushes. This is a male, around 80 years old. This fellow ambled off the path with its deliberate, slow-motion pace.
This female was checking us out, and curious enough to extend her neck.
This huge old male, however, was having none of it and retracted his head as far as he could. Tortoises can weigh up to 600 pounds and this guy may have achieved that.
We saw about a half dozen tortoises during our half mile walk. They are nearly deaf and, if approached from behind, were not aware of our presence until we were passing them. For the most part, they ignored us.
There is a poison apple tree in the Galapagos. While tortoises and iguanas like the fruit, the entire tree is toxic to humans. Just touching the bark can cause irritation, and standing under the tree during a rainstorm can cause burns from the acid runoff.
We saw several male land iguanas, busy guarding their territories and preparing burrows. They are extremely territorial and will fight to the point of drawing blood to drive off other males who infringe on their territory. Females, however, are welcome. Iguanas use the burrows to regulate their body temperature, both to warm up and cool off as the conditions require.
This guy was extremely colorful; sure to be a hit with the ladies.
The juice in these peculiar berries on this shrub have been used by schoolchildren as a natural glue for school projects. We tried a drop on our fingers, which, when pinched together and allowed to dry, held like a weak superglue. It quickly brushed off. School boys sometimes use it as natural pomade.
We saw the relatively rare (800 individuals and 150 “pairs”) Galapagos hawk, and a mockingbird that happily sang away. The mockingbirds don’t have the endless variety of calls that ours do in Florida, but they do have a repertoire of calls. The land iguanas have learned to recognize their call for danger, and know to scurry to their burrows.
We circled a big pod of bottlenose dolphins, who were feeding and cavorting around the ship. Socrates explained that it was probably multiple generations of related dolphins, half of which would corral fish below and force them towards the surface for the other half to feed. Then they would switch roles.
In the afternoon, we stopped at Tagus Cove (a site Darwin visited) to either kayak, deep-water snorkel, or take an (emphasis theirs) INVIGORATING, MORE WALKING-LESS TALKING FAST PACED, UP-HILL HIKE. We got the not-so-subtle message that the hike was not recommended for anyone who might have trouble keeping up. The 1.5 mile hike had to be completed within 75 minutes to get us back to the ship before dark. As far as we know, everyone who attempted it made it to the final viewpoint of several volcanic peaks..
Darwin Lake - a brackish lake overlooking Tagus Cove and our ship below.
The area is quite arid, and we saw no wildlife beyond a few birds. During the rainy season, the white, ghost-like trees covering the hills sprout leaves and the landscape changes dramatically.
After we descended back to the shore, Christian pointed out the oldest graffiti at the landing point. It says 1836, just a year after Darwin was here.
The soulful little sea lion was rolling in a small depression on the rocks. A nice place to settle in for the night.
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