Dragon Hill, Santa Cruz Island & Chinese Hat Islet
Just a single island can have so many different ecosystems just hundreds of yards away from one another! This morning, as we explored the north side of Santa Cruz, we enjoyed a long walk through a deciduous “holy stick” (Bursera graveolens) forest that at this time of the year is leafless and dry due to it being our summer time, or cool, dry season. This is actually the same island we visited yesterday, but then we were on the southern side where it is green, cold and wet: an apt environment for the Galápagos giant tortoises. Today we found ourselves walking through a dry forest that grows on a barren-looking lava field. The path led us to a colony of giant land iguanas that thrives on the dusty terrain dotted with the giant prickly pear cacti that are the only source of food and fresh water for these bizarre retiles.
Santa Cruz is the second largest island in the Galápagos and its appearance is so unique: to the south, evergreen forests due to the annual mists produced by the Humboldt Current that sweeps up from the South Pole. On the other hand, the north side of this major island is a desert for most of the year, as a result of being in the island’s own rain shadow. The moisture-laden clouds are so high above this side that it hardly ever rains. However, the wildlife can be overwhelming.
The rest of the morning was spent doing some underwater explorations. We departed on deep-water snorkeling outings to one of the nearby islets named Guy Fawkes, where we found the marine life to be astonishing and we had a great time admiring large organisms such as sea lions, sea birds perching on the rocks, myriads of small and large fish as well as colorful patches of red and yellow sponges. Among the smaller organisms we encountered were many invertebrates creeping along the sea floor and rocky walls, like this gorgeous blue-and-black nudibranch, called the Mulliner doris, advertising to its potential predators that it is not good eating.
In the late afternoon, after gathering for a LEX forum on the future of Galápagos and other conservation areas, we disembarked at Chinese Hat Islet for some more snorkeling, beach time, kayaking and Zodiac cruises. This time we snorkeled in calm waters, where we were surrounded by a lot of colorful reef fish; the highlight of this outing being a couple of white-tipped reef sharks. No matter which of the outings we took, we were enchanted by a large group of playful and curious young Galápagos sea lions and the emblematic Galápagos penguin. This bird seems to be quite out of place inhabiting the northern hemisphere, entirely in the tropics, and having all its relatives in the icy southern ocean.
Just amazing, and looking forward to see more!
Just a single island can have so many different ecosystems just hundreds of yards away from one another! This morning, as we explored the north side of Santa Cruz, we enjoyed a long walk through a deciduous “holy stick” (Bursera graveolens) forest that at this time of the year is leafless and dry due to it being our summer time, or cool, dry season. This is actually the same island we visited yesterday, but then we were on the southern side where it is green, cold and wet: an apt environment for the Galápagos giant tortoises. Today we found ourselves walking through a dry forest that grows on a barren-looking lava field. The path led us to a colony of giant land iguanas that thrives on the dusty terrain dotted with the giant prickly pear cacti that are the only source of food and fresh water for these bizarre retiles.
Santa Cruz is the second largest island in the Galápagos and its appearance is so unique: to the south, evergreen forests due to the annual mists produced by the Humboldt Current that sweeps up from the South Pole. On the other hand, the north side of this major island is a desert for most of the year, as a result of being in the island’s own rain shadow. The moisture-laden clouds are so high above this side that it hardly ever rains. However, the wildlife can be overwhelming.
The rest of the morning was spent doing some underwater explorations. We departed on deep-water snorkeling outings to one of the nearby islets named Guy Fawkes, where we found the marine life to be astonishing and we had a great time admiring large organisms such as sea lions, sea birds perching on the rocks, myriads of small and large fish as well as colorful patches of red and yellow sponges. Among the smaller organisms we encountered were many invertebrates creeping along the sea floor and rocky walls, like this gorgeous blue-and-black nudibranch, called the Mulliner doris, advertising to its potential predators that it is not good eating.
In the late afternoon, after gathering for a LEX forum on the future of Galápagos and other conservation areas, we disembarked at Chinese Hat Islet for some more snorkeling, beach time, kayaking and Zodiac cruises. This time we snorkeled in calm waters, where we were surrounded by a lot of colorful reef fish; the highlight of this outing being a couple of white-tipped reef sharks. No matter which of the outings we took, we were enchanted by a large group of playful and curious young Galápagos sea lions and the emblematic Galápagos penguin. This bird seems to be quite out of place inhabiting the northern hemisphere, entirely in the tropics, and having all its relatives in the icy southern ocean.
Just amazing, and looking forward to see more!
