Adventures in the Animal Kingdom: Animals of the Galapagos

So, there's this dog......

No, I'm only kidding, don't worry.  No more stories to tug at your heart strings.  Of course there are dogs here, but I find they receive far better treatment than I usually see traveling, so we're OK.  There are a lot of dogs here, though.  Some families even have a whole pack, like these guys who are my neighbors.

My animal friendly heart is happy to report that this pack is well taken care of, and the puppies are the apples of the children's (Alexis, 8, and Mila 5) eyes.  In fact, Capitan, the smallest and all-black puppy, rarely leaves Mila's loving grasp.

In addition to dogs, families here keep other farm animals for subsistence.  Chickens, ducks, geese, and goats roam free, and cows are kept to pasture. 

Additionally, most families have 2-3 horses or mules.  It's quite common to have the small side roads blocked by a grazing mule or horse.

They are used to get around, and to shuttle work materials up to the haciendas (ranches) in the mountains. 

I had a nice run in with some of the local farm creatures the other day.  I went up to the hacienda to do some work with one of my hosts, and on our way back down the mountain, we stopped to collect mandarinas so there would be fruit to snack on.  We stopped at part of my host's farm where his cows are at pasture.  When we stopped at one of the trees with a lot of fruit, the cows seemed taken aback by our presence.  As my host climbed the trees, and I sadly, attempted to catch the fruit on it's way down,  his cows spent more of there time just staring at us. They must have thought we were crazy. 

Finally one cow must have caught a whiff of the sweat on my shirt, because she made her way over to taste it!

When it comes to wildlife, though, there certainly is a lot to see here.  Some of the Galapagos' most famous creatures are our feathered friends.  These little guys, for example, are some of the different finches that Darwin studied when he came to the island.  You can see them flitting about, often pecking around in the soil for something to eat.

Of course there are also lots of sea birds, like pelicans and frigates.  Most often you will see pelicans perched on a fence or post somewhere, and the frigates soaring high, catching gusts of wind off the ocean.

I had the chance to watch this gorgeous heron the other day when I arrived early to the beach.  He waded around for about 10 minutes before he finally found something to catch.  It only took a couple of tried before he caught himself a snack and went on his way.

There are, of course, the more rare birds, like this blue footed bobbie that I happened to see just before sunset a few days ago.  Terrific luck, but it didn't make for great photos.

There are also lots of amazing non-flying creatures, too.  Besides the lobos (sea lions) of my last post, one of my favorite things about the rocky shoreline here are the colorful crabs that surface to warm themselves on the rocks.  Their colors range from fire engine red, to a brilliant orange, to almost black.  Each one is like a hand crafted work of art.

Though I have yet to visit one of the major hang out spots, I did have the chance to see one Marine Iguana who came out of the water early in the morning to munch on the seaweed that grows on the rocks at the shoreline.  These iguanas have adapted to the harsh conditions here on the islands, and spend most of their time in the sea, or warming on the rocks.  They can dive under water for up to 20 minutes, nibbling on the rocks, their sharp claws holding firmly as they are pounded by waves.  I stood shooting pictures of this guy for an hour and a half, and now have some great images to remember him by.

There are also, of course, the incredible land tortoises.....  but that's another story for another day.  : )