Field herping in Galapagos

[HernandosMom]

Hope this works. Field herping in Galapagos.

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[Pikey]

i hate you!

But no really thats a great pic

[txrepgirl]

This is to cool :) . Wow, I have never seen Iguanas look like this before. They look like hybrids. Hey, I'm short. Do you think you could put me into your backpack and take me with you :) lol.

[tupinambis]

lol, txrepgirl, those are no hybrids, those are Amblyrhyncus cristatus, the Galapagos Marine iguana.

[txrepgirl]

I'm glad I could make you laugh :). I should of put it differently. I didn't mean to say that they are hybrids for sure. I just wanted to say that to me they look like ( not that they are ) hybrids because they have so many different colors on them. I like the one on the right in the back. The one with the bright blue arms and has some red on it. Thank you for letting me know what they are ;) .

[HernandosMom]

On another island:

[txrepgirl]

You are such a tease lol. Thank you for the picture.

[HernandosMom]

Hey, I'm short. Do you think you could put me into your backpack and take me with you

Hahaha, nice try, but unfortunately I've deduced from your other posts that both Hernando and I could fit inside your hoodie.


You are such a tease

:lol::lol::lol: Not on purpose, txrepgirl. It's just that it takes me so long to figure out how to get one picture posted, and then I'm embarrassed because my field notes are a mess. :oops: I want to put the names of the animals and the places and dates of the photos. Each island has a different variety of lizard! So at least you get to see what you missed.;):grin:

[txrepgirl]

I can't wait to see what I have missed next lol.

[laurarfl]

They are so sleepy! Any action/diving shots? ;)

[the enigma]

They are beautiful! Nice shots.

[Tegs Rex]

Gala huh? I'm 100% jealous. lol absolutely beautiful shots.

[BoxTurtle52]

Great pictures! I've always wanted to go there.

[HernandosMom]

They are so sleepy! Any action/diving shots?

The still photos are mostly pretty accurate of their lifestlye. I was there just as mating season was starting up, so the males were pretty sensitive if one of their bretheren made a sharp move or bobbed his head:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufuI3jtjgV0&feature=player_embedded

[HernandosMom]

They also move under water:

http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=J3YkHQFk1pE

[Ben3233]

hey, have you seen some galapagos tortoise there? Got any pic of them?

[HernandosMom]

hey, have you seen some galapagos tortoise there? Got any pic of them?

The Bensome moderator's wish is my command:
First, this is a wild tortoise, I think on Santa Cruz Island:
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He was just grazing in a pasture like a cow. The tortoises were migrating and you could see their giant shells from a great distance. Here's one that shows the shape of the carapace a little better:
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They were huge; I could easily have ridden one. I think this guy was about 5 ft long, if memory serves correctly. To give you a sense, and because I know some people on this site love pictures of poop:
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That's tortoise poop next to HernandosPapa's size 10-1/2 foot. You could stand that close and it didn't stink (the poop)! I think because their digestive tract may not rely on anaerobic bacteria?

Next someone may ask to see the tortoise frolicking and jumping around:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5t8qkg2Du4Y

[HernandosMom]

And this (on the left) is Lonesome George ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geochelone_nigra_abingdoni ) perhaps the most famous individual reptile in the world. HernandosPapa is keeping him company for now:
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These three photos are not strictly speaking field herping, in that Lonesome George lives in a special tortoise research and breeding facility, as do these guys from various other Galapagos islands:
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This is a posture they naturally go into when a special cleaning finch comes by to preen them (eating bugs off their skin)

[Ben3233]

Nice picture of tortoise I like them.

[HernandosMom]

Thank you, Ben, and thanks for fixing the thread name.

[Nessie]

Just came across these pics and wow what an experience to have! I have been in love with the Marine Iguana for years. To see one up close would be breath taking! I can't beilieve the size of the tortoise! One day I may get a tortoise, on a smaller scale though.
You are a lucky lady!

[HernandosMom]

I recommend Galapagos as a pilgrimage for anyone who loves reptiles, or who appreciates nature at all for that matter. Every day I saw things that amazed me from sun up to sun down. If you snorkel, you also see much more. It's not easy or cheap to get there, but is worth it. In the week I was there, I took nearly a thousand photos.

If you visit the islands, you have to go with a licensed guide. Some guides and boat captains are much better than others. If you have to hitchhike to get there, do not scrimp on the guide company-- you can miss a lot of information and it can also be dangerous. I can strongly recommend Lindblad National Geographic Expeditions. Not only are they very experienced and hire knowledgeable guides, they are all about getting you up close to experience the environment but in a way that doesn't damage or disturb it.

[reptilekeeper]

How long did it take to get there? I assume there is no airstrip, so by boat off the coast of Ecuador?

[HernandosMom]

From Miami you fly to Quito, the capital of Ecuador. Interesting colonial era historic sites, if you can spend a day there. Very high altitude. Then you take a puddle jumper to Guayaquil, on the coast. One of the Galapagos Islands has sadly been heavily developed (it's a long history). There is an air strip and I understand it has now been enlarged to accommodate regular jets. So you don't need to go by boat, but it took us over a day to get there. The Islands are very vulnerable right now because Ecuador is generally a poor country and poachers have been opportunistically moving in. I think the current president is not favorable toward protection, but they change presidents very frequently.