Fernandina Island, Galapagos

Fernandina was one of the last stops on our itinerary, and it will be easy to see why it vies with Genovesa as my favorite. 

To start with, the island is home so some of the more recent volcanic activity (and by recent I mean within the last 100 years).  So much of our walking was done on sharp, raw lava.  That in and of itself is interesting and beautiful.

Adding to this, is the myriad of life that has adapted to survive in this harsh environment.  There are some smaller plants, like this one called Tequilia, which is a "pioneer plant."  It is one of the first plants to root on the lava, slowly breaking it apart and creating soil for the larger plants to take root.

The next strain of plant to arrive are the cactus.  Most common was the lava cactus, which ranged in size from the size of a shoebox, to this largest one we saw which was a small dining room table size. 

Aside from these two plants, there was not a lot of other life to see.  We did see one of two locusts, which I quickly mistook for grasshoppers.  You don't even notice they are there until you startle them, and they leap across your path.

We also saw a few lava lizards which can be found all over the archipelago.  The male is always a bit bigger than the female, but usually the female has a red throat.

Like some other lizards, they can break off part of their tail to escape a predator, growing it back slowly, like this one.

But the real action began when we came upon the marine iguanas.  We first saw a group of about 30, clinging to the rocks, huddled together to conserve heat.  It was a cloudy day, so there was little sun to heat them up.

After this first group, we saw thousands more.  Thousands.  One after another, we rounded corner after corner, coming upon larger and larger groups of marine iguanas.  I was enthralled.  They perch, generally unmoving, and often all facing identical directions.  At times I felt like I was in a yoga studio with all of the patrons in downward dog.

I took 450 photos on this 2 hour excursion.  My shutter clicking continuously in search of the perfect shots of these fascinating creatures.

I already explained a little in my earlier post about marine iguanas, but I will elaborate a bit more here, just so you might come to share my fascination with these reptiles.

Scientists believe that these iguanas have been on the Galapagos islands for millions of years.  In fact, that would make them one of the first species to colonize the islands, long before the land iguanas that currently inhabit some islands.  Though the exact origin cannot be determined, the most logical conclusion is that these iguanas are relatives of the land iguanas of Argentina.  Due to strong currents that travel up along the coast of Chile, passing through the Galapagos, it is supposed that the first ancestors of the marine iguana made their way here on natural rafts after storms.  As reptiles do, they can slow their heart rate, allowing them to go longer without food or respiration, and to survive in colder temperatures, allowing them to survive the estimated 2 week journey.

The interesting problem them becomes their diet.  The Argentinian relatives live on plants, fruits and insects.  Millions of years ago, there was little plant life to speak of on the islands.  This is where the beauty of Darwin's research becomes very clear.  These lizards arrived after a long journey to a harsh, rocky land.  With no natural food supply on land, with time, they adapted to searching in the water.  There are so many nutrients in the water here, due to a convergence of a few different current, that sea life abounds.  Included within that life, is algae and sea weed.

Gradually, the iguanas of the Galapagos, learned to swim, and dive, holding their breath, to scrape the algae off of the rocks.  With time, their bodies adapted.  As compared to the land-based relatives, they have a short, stubby snout, making it easier to scrape the plants off the rocks, and a flatter tail, acting as a powerful propeller in the water.  Their sharp claws serve them well, too, as they can easily grip the rough volcanic rock. Their black color allows them to absord more sunlight when raising their temperature after a long dive.   I consider them to be a pretty miraculous adaptation to circumstances.

The plenitude of these lizards was pretty astounding on Fernandina, and with each colony, my jaw dropped continuously lower.  With few natural predators, save the Galapagos hawk when they are smaller, they rule king of the island, and I would say Fernandina is a must see on any Galapagos itinerary.