Charlie brought some of his Galapagos pictures! :)
Various comments about the pictures and the trip:
* The prominent animals on the islands are the birds.
* You go to Ecuador and fly to the Galapagos.
* Only one island has water, so only that one island has any facilities for
people to stay. Numbers are severely limited - for both ecological and logistical
reasons.
* The terrain looks most like desert, like Arizona.
* Everywhere you go, the rule is 'hands off' because the islands are a nature
preserve.
* All the flowers are white or yellow. Those are the colors that show up
at night and these flowers are pollinated by nocturnal insects.
* Blue Footed Booby birds nest here. They eat fish, diving into the sea like
rockets, their wings folded.
* The smallest penguin species in the world lives here. They are amazingly
fast swimmers.
* Marine Iguanas live here. On one island is the Christmas iguana, red and
green.
* There are a few land iguanas here too, orange and white.
* There are seals.
* The Saddleback tortoise has a shell shaped so it can reach up to eat
shrubbery.
* There are sea turtles all over, both the Green (4 feet across) and the
Hawksbill (smaller). When you're swimming they come close enough you could
reach out and touch them!
* The Darwin Station is breeding baby Galapagos tortoises.
* Although the islands are at the equator, the water is cold due to Arctic
currents. Most folks want full wet suits for swimming.
* AWOL hikers will die of dehydration. No brooks or creeks or wells or springs.
The plants live on mist.
* It's very open, there's no shade.
* The ground is lava rocks with innumerable holes and crevices into which
any lizard or snake can vanish instantly. No telling when or where they may
re-emerge, so no point in waiting with your camera!
* Remarkably, there are no bugs to speak of. No bot flies here! :)
Thanks, Charlie! Remember, we want to see your PowerPoint presentation
- we'll 'vet' it for you!
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I brought Peton. |
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Chris brought boas. :) He has sold many of his, thinning out his collection. |
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Nile Monitor - what beautiful patterning! |
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Nile Monitor closeup |
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Bite Me! |
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Neo-nate Arizona Mountain Kingsnake - what colors!! |
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Arizona Mountain Kingsnake - again |
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Teri's cornsnake, Opal |
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Columbian Red Tarantula |
Thanks to AB Marshall for some of these pictures! :)