Today we started off our day by taking a two-hour speed boat ride to Isabela Island. It was a long, rough, and bumpy ride to the island, especially since we were stuck on the inside of the boat where there was not much fresh air. When we finally made it to Isabela and as soon as we stepped off the boat, we were already seeing marine iguanas and sea lions all over.
We checked in and dropped our suitcases off and the hotel and then headed to the beach to go kayaking and snorkeling. We go to the beach and there were seals laying on the benches and under the trees in the shade, and they were not even bothered by the fact that we were walking by. We got our partner and our kayaks and headed out into the ocean. We were surrounded by mangrove forests and lava rocks. Within a few minutes we had already seen a sea turtle; even though at first Taylor and I thought it was a baby seal. We continued along and saw marine iguanas and blue footed boobies on the rocks. When we got to the spot where we were snorkeling, we jumped off our kayaks and started exploring. It was so awesome that we were able to snorkel right from our kayaks instead of walking into the water from ashore. We saw two white-tipped reef sharks, so many different species of fish, and a sting ray. One of my favorite fish that I saw was definitely that parrotfish. I think parrotfish are so unique because of their beaked mouths, and with how vibrant their colors are like on the princess parrotfish or the rainbow parrotfish. On our way back shore we got to see two Galapagos penguins sitting on the lava rocks, and we saw two more sea turtles swimming around in the ocean.
After kayaking we headed back to our hotel and ate lunch. I had this amazing shrimp in a garlic sauce with rice!! Even the dessert they gave us was delicious, it tasted like a pound cake but also like corn bread; still not exactly sure what it is.
Next we started off on our bike tour to see the flamingos and the tortoise breeding center. First, we biked and to see the flamingos, they were in a little pond like area, but there were only two there. They said that there is usually more there, but it all depends on the amount of shrimp that in the area. They also were not as vibrant of a pink as I’ve seen before, and this was because when they are juveniles, they are more of a lighter pink because they are not foraging for their own foods, whereas when they get older, they are foraging for the own shrimp. The shrimp that they eat actually gives them the pink color they have on their feathers. Our tour guide also though that the one flamingo there may have been sick, because it looked pretty grown but it was still a very light pink. Next we rode to the “Arnaldo Tupiza-Chamaidan” Giant Tortoise Breeding Center. I really enjoyed this stop, one because I love turtles and two because it was so interesting to learn more about them. The tortoises on the Galapagos Islands were hunted by pirates and taken aboard their ships because tortoises are able to live a year without food or water, so the pirates would take them for food. Tortoises were also affected by the lava flows on the island, because they could not escape fast enough so they would be killed by the lava. We actually saw a tortoise who had lost its leg from the lava flow. The Giant Tortoise was pushed to almost extinction, where there were only four males and four females. These eight tortoises were taken into the tortoise breeding center which helped them to produce offspring. The tortoise breeding center also discussed how when tortoise offspring are juveniles, they have very soft shells, so almost no juveniles survive in the wild. The juveniles do not last in the wild because of, rats, burros, pigs, dogs, goats, and much more. Each of those species either eat the juveniles, or trample to eggs or juveniles. Tortoises are such an interesting creature that I have already learned so much about on this trip and I am so eager to continue to learn more!!
After our bike tour most of us headed down to the beach to watch the sunset because we had some off time before dinner and presentations. It was a beautiful sunset, so of course we had all had a little photo shoot on the rocks. After the sunset we all headed to dinner. After dinner we had a presentation from Julianna Tucker and Jessie John who discussed climate change in the Galapagos Islands. Julie talked about how the islands were originally formed, which were by volcanic eruptions and plate tectonics. Julia then went into talk about how the species had arrived at the islands, either by air or water. Jessie then discussed climate change and how it is affecting the Galapagos Islands. In 1982 there was a warming of the Pacific Ocean that resulted in the abundance of nutrients and algae and the introduction of invasive species.
Extra Research:
Galapagos Parrotfish Parrotfish have always been one of the many fish species that really interested me. The Parrotfish is the most common families of fish found off the coast of the Galapagos Islands. Some of the most popular species are the Blue Chin Parrotfish, the Bumphead Parrotfish, the Bicolor Parrotfish, and the Azure Parrotfish. Parrotfish actually feed off of the polyps that live in corals, which yes is destructive to corals, but most corral beaches are made from the passing of these corals through there system. Parrotfish are also able to change sex throughout there life span. Parrotfish are a kind of fish that is so interesting to me and I am so happy that I was able to see them off the coast of the islands. http://eebweb.arizona.edu/courses/galapagos/expert%20topics%202007%20(bonine)/JHall_ParrotFish07.pdf