The March of the Giant Tortoises...
5.22.18 Tortoises Everywhere!
Up at 4 AM and out the door by 4:45 for our flight from Quito to Guayaquil to Baltra Island, Galapagos, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Upon landing we transfer by bus to a dock to catch the ferry, then another bus as we travel the island of Santa Cruz to Santa Rosa - and the Rancho el Mayzayillo home of tortoises.
Galapagos factoids:
- volcanic archipelago in the Pacific Ocean
- one of the world's foremost destinations for wildlife viewing
- it is an Ecuador province 1,000 km. off the coast
- many plants & wildlife that exist nowhere else
- its capital is Puerto Baquerizo Moreno
- visited by Charles Darwin in 1835
Giant Galapagos tortoise factoids:
- they are the longest lived vertebrates (averaging 100 years old!) The oldest tortoise lived to be 170!
- modern Galapagos tortoises can weigh up to 919 pounds! (Males average around 500 lbs.; females 300 lbs.
- females are generally smaller than males
- only 11 of 15 species survive on the islands
- the islands get their Galapagos name from the tortoises (old Spanish word "galapago" means "saddle" - the shape of their shells)
- they can go almost a year without food or water
- adult tortoises have no natural predators
- they are herbivores
- females lay up to 16 eggs after she digs a hole about one foot deep and pees all over it to prevent the sand from collapsing on the eggs
- the sand temperature determines the gender of the eggs (if it is warmer, more females will hatch; if cooler, more males)
- it can take up to a month for a baby to dig their way out of the nest
We enjoy a delicious picnic lunch after photographing the most interesting tortoises at the Ranch before we drive through Santa Rosa to our ship, the Carina.
After we settle into our rooms and unpack, we take the dinghies into town to see Charles Darwin Research Station, where we learn all about Lonesome George, and see some baby turtles as well as some huge very old ones.
Lonesome George was a male Pinta Island tortoise that was the last survivor of his species. He was named after the comedian George Gobel and was approximately 100 years old when he died in 2012.
We have about one hour to explore the small town on Santa Cruz so we decide to join Juan at the only craft beer cafe, Cerveza Artesanal craft beer. I enjoyed a Saison Ale with herbal hops with the young owner.
Soon it's time for dinner - our first wonderful soup of the week as a starter - cream of asparagus + queso (cheese) + popcorn. AWESOME and habit-forming!
Before crashing, I decided to take a couple of photos of the surrounding ships in the twilight.
Up at 4 AM and out the door by 4:45 for our flight from Quito to Guayaquil to Baltra Island, Galapagos, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Upon landing we transfer by bus to a dock to catch the ferry, then another bus as we travel the island of Santa Cruz to Santa Rosa - and the Rancho el Mayzayillo home of tortoises.
Galapagos factoids:
- volcanic archipelago in the Pacific Ocean
- one of the world's foremost destinations for wildlife viewing
- it is an Ecuador province 1,000 km. off the coast
- many plants & wildlife that exist nowhere else
- its capital is Puerto Baquerizo Moreno
- visited by Charles Darwin in 1835
Giant Galapagos tortoise factoids:
- they are the longest lived vertebrates (averaging 100 years old!) The oldest tortoise lived to be 170!
- modern Galapagos tortoises can weigh up to 919 pounds! (Males average around 500 lbs.; females 300 lbs.
- females are generally smaller than males
- only 11 of 15 species survive on the islands
- the islands get their Galapagos name from the tortoises (old Spanish word "galapago" means "saddle" - the shape of their shells)
- they can go almost a year without food or water
- adult tortoises have no natural predators
- they are herbivores
- females lay up to 16 eggs after she digs a hole about one foot deep and pees all over it to prevent the sand from collapsing on the eggs
- the sand temperature determines the gender of the eggs (if it is warmer, more females will hatch; if cooler, more males)
- it can take up to a month for a baby to dig their way out of the nest
We enjoy a delicious picnic lunch after photographing the most interesting tortoises at the Ranch before we drive through Santa Rosa to our ship, the Carina.
After we settle into our rooms and unpack, we take the dinghies into town to see Charles Darwin Research Station, where we learn all about Lonesome George, and see some baby turtles as well as some huge very old ones.
Lonesome George was a male Pinta Island tortoise that was the last survivor of his species. He was named after the comedian George Gobel and was approximately 100 years old when he died in 2012.
We have about one hour to explore the small town on Santa Cruz so we decide to join Juan at the only craft beer cafe, Cerveza Artesanal craft beer. I enjoyed a Saison Ale with herbal hops with the young owner.
Soon it's time for dinner - our first wonderful soup of the week as a starter - cream of asparagus + queso (cheese) + popcorn. AWESOME and habit-forming!
Before crashing, I decided to take a couple of photos of the surrounding ships in the twilight.
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