“It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.”
A Galápagos stand-off
What place is more unique than the Galápagos islands? Formed by volcanic activity, the archipelago was never connected to the outside world. Stranded in the Pacific. Several theories address how the islands' famous reptiles arrived, some of them, quite fantastic. Regardless of origin story, once here, life began to change and adapt, establishing the world's greatest spectacle of evolution. For ages it was left unblemished, a beautifully intertwined ecosystem all its own. So when my Dad asked if I wanted to take my Mom and go, the choice to come, wasn't a choice at all.
It was dark, well before dawn, when checked into our hotel in Quito. We tried to catch a few hours of sleep. I sat, awake, light creeping out from behind the shades. Listening to podcast after podcast . . .
. . . then, I was awake. Disoriented, trying to remember where I was. Eventually, the alarm jogged my memory and had coffee and breakfast not been awaiting my arrival, I doubt I would have been so keen to respond to its demands.
Saturday was a good day to visit the market in Otavalo. I was on the hunt for an adventure hat, and that, I suspected, was where I'd find one. Already high in the Andes, we climbed further, stopping along the way that the equator to stand an egg on its end, and once more for coffee. My dad and I had a cup of the black stuff and wasted no time getting into the South American mood. Upon our arrival to Otavalo, it took me no time to find the perfect adventure hat, modeled below by Yours Truly, yet again coffee in hand. Ready for anything.
Buena Vista Social Club
Me llamo Adventure. The Winter '16 collection.
A local shopkeeper enjoying his siesta.
After a few hours of exploration, we headed back to Quito.
At a staggering 9100' elevation, it boasts to be the second highest capital in the world. The city has a very historic old town with Spanish architecture and is completely surrounded, intertwined even, with the mountainous terrain. Equatorians also have a strange affinity for blinking Christmas light displays – in churches, on government buildings, restaurants, you name it, flashing Jesus.
The Galápagos
San Cristóbal
The next day we got back on a plane and set a course for the legendary islands. The tour we were with was land based; we spent our nights on three of the larger members of the archipelago. This isn't as common. Typically tourists will take a boat over, using it as a place to sleep and a way to hop about from place to place.
** Note to future travelers. Given the nature of the Galápagos, hoofing it without a tour isn't ideal. The islands are a giant science experiment with a wealth of information. Sure you can take a selfie with a sea lion and say that you went there, but you're really doing yourself a major disservice. There are also a lot of rules. For example, 95% of the largest island is off limits and for the other 5% you need to travel with a local naturalist guide, who may or may not speak English. If you're thinking of going, spend the money, or don't go. There really is no place like it on the planet, and while there, you should learn and see everything you can. That's difficult to do without the help of a professional.
The Andes topography around Quito.
Getting off the plane, I couldn't believe how humid it was. We were surrounded by succulents, yet I was practically swimming.
The islands have elevated centers where active volcanoes once stood. Air, heated from all the lava rocks, is forced inland by winds blowing across the Pacific. Pushed higher and higher by the slopes of the volcanoes, it starts to cool. As a result, rain clouds form in the highlands while the lowlands remain dry. This is known as orographic lift.
We grabbed our bags, went for a bite, and met some of the locals.
Our hotel on San Cristóbal. You could hear sea lion yelping all morning and watch them take over boats anchored in the harbor.
Sea Lion
Sea lions were the main attraction on San Cristóbal. Thoroughly entitled, they held dominion over the seaside turf, both natural and man-made. A relative of the California sea lion, these guys are at a different place than seals in the whole evolution process. Sea lions have a longer neck and can more efficiently walk on land, where as seals are better suited for the water. They also smell pretty rank.
We hopped on a boat and had a day of deep water snorkeling and beach exploration.
The fish above, a parrot fish, actually created the fine sand beach behind me. It's so fine, the water is incredibly murky, and closer to shore, the churning waves makes it impossible to see. This sand is an excrement in their digestion process that is taken in as they eat coral. It can not be digested and is flushed out.
Isabella
Our next stop was Isabella. Like I said logistics is a bit of a mess, and for our first island hop we piled into a twin prop plane. I was in the co-pilot seat. I had been looking forward to this as I posses a modest fear of flying. Despite the whole physics of flying thing, something about being suspended in a metal box thousands of miles above the earth seems odd to me. If you can't tell, I like to confront my fears head on. What better way to get the fear out than to ride shotgun, in a crop-duster, in South America, flying over the open Pacific? I couldn't think of one either.
Apart from my knees being in the way during takeoff, yikes, it was great! Flying shotty is way better than being in the back with the cattle. I finally won the mental game that is turbulence! Actually seeing what's going on, as opposed to just being thrown around with all the other nervous people, that's the way to fly.
The namesake of our hotel, "Iguana Crossing", came from the constant flow of migrating marine iguanas across "road" that divided the beach from the hotel. This road was, in reality, just sand that was leveled out daily and packed down. With reptiles stopping traffic and a population of 1,700, it felt like we were in a forgotten place on the edges of the world's map. Similar to San Cristóbal, here, the lizards held the dominion over beach. People were just visiting.
We dropped off our bags and headed out to the tortoise breeding center on the island.
TORTOISE
With no endemic mammal predators, reptiles had been able to make their mark in a big way on the islands. There is no better example than the different tortoise breeds. Below, you can see them. The saddleback, mid, and dome shells differentiate them. The first one pictured, lives in the lowlands and has adapted so it can reach higher up on plants for food. At the other extreme, the dome shell. In the highlands, there is no such lack of vegetation. Therefore the dome shelled hommie is quite comfortable lower to the ground. The Galápagos actually get their names from these reptiles. I've seen a dispute to the origin story I heard, but either way, the archipelago was named for its most famous inhabitants. When ships landed on these shores, sailors saw the saddle backs, a subspecies never seen before, roaming the lowlands. The old Spanish word for saddle was galápago. There you go! My Big Fat Greek Wedding reference, in case you missed it...
Their metabolisms are also incredibly slow. They eat all day and barely digest anything. They can also go long periods of time without food or water. While this is especially true for the tortoise, other reptiles also possess this gift. That's one of the reasons people believe that the Galápagos became, at one point, such a haven for reptiles. Able to survive tough conditions longer than mammals, it's thought that reptiles arrived after being stranded at sea. The tortoise has another trick. When its extremities emerge, fill air pockets fill in its shell. Maybe, or the idea says, they could have used that trick to stay afloat on the open ocean. This is all very much theory, and unlike Darwin's theory which is backed by solid evidence, this one really isn't. Along the same line of thinking, it's believed that iguanas emigrated from South America riding driftwood.
What I said before about it being a haven, well it was until man showed up and did what "civilized" man always does, ruin things. The most directly destructive activity was eating them. Thanks to their slow metabolisms, they could last a long time without food and were thus picked up and brought on to ships for fresh meat on the voyage. This affected the lowland types, specifically the saddleback, and in particular the females. They were smaller, and much easier to carry then the males, making them the sailors' top choice.
Introduced Species
The other major problem, and this gets its own category; introduced species. We all know what a pain in the ass these guys are. If you haven't seen the Peoria Carp Hunters YouTube video, you should take a minute and check it out. Quite silly, it highlights a major ecological issue.
Now, when this happens to an ecosystem as fine tuned as the Galápagos, it's a major problem. This segment is called "Lost to Time" because up until the point people showed up, it was. After that interaction, a unique world that existed in isolation for thousands of years of started to crumble. Goats, pigs, rats, even bullfrogs began to thrive in this untouched land, and have been a major problem ever since. For example, introduced pigs began to eat tortoise eggs, and goats ate through their food in the lowlands, seriously threatening the species. The government has supported various programs to reduce unwanted guests, including one which offered hunters $1 per dead bullfrog.
That afternoon we went snorkeling in Las Tintoreras, and after, hiked one of the islets. Approaching our destination, a sea lion popped his head out of the water, looking quite concerned. As we disembarked, he made for the shore, and upon landfall, bee lined right through our party, thus making sure we didn't take his bench. Below, he is featured looking quite pleased with himself.
How many iguanas can you see?
Male iguanas are the brightly colored ones. It's mating season, so they pick a rock, look pretty, and if the ladies are feeling their vibe, gather around them. The guy above is quite the stud.
Marine Iguana
Although the seal lions are hilarious, mischievous, and playful, all the things I love in both people and animals, I still have to say that marine iguana was my favorite. It looked like a prehistoric relic, a species that had no place in the modern world, but this corner of the globe, has been passed over by Father Time. They exist only in the Galápagos and are an adaptation that split off from the islands' land iguanas. It should be noted here that this endemic land iguana is also very different from its mainland cousin.
What makes the marine iguana different? Well, as the name implies it spends a good amount of time in the ocean. Algae that grows on the shoreline rocks is its only source of food. Its head is specially designed to be flatter, and its teeth honed to eat the green stuff with maximum efficiency. It comes complete with a tail that is taller and flatter, allowing it to slither through the water, and claws to help it cling to lava rocks, nullifying currents that might sweep it away as they eat. Although it has developed the ability to hold its breath underwater, the time spent under the waves is cut short by the need to regulate body temperature.
Thus, marine iguanas spend a fair amount of time sunning on the lava rocks with which they blend in so well. I can't tell you how many times I realized that all of a sudden I was standing several feet from one, even while I was on high alert looking for any sign of life. Marine and land iguanas have been known to occasionally mate and the result is a more land-like hybrid. Anyways, off to dinner, and more flashing lights.
The next morning we headed up to the highlands and Isabella's interior. Unlike the sun that bathed the coast, clouds and rain laid siege to this elevated part of the island. Thanks to this topography, sea currents and general weather patterns at the equatorial archipelago, it was a muddy day. You can see that the vegetation is vastly different this high up.
After returning back to the sunshine, we took a leisurely afternoon walk on the beach. But don't be fooled. With marine iguanas, blue footed boobies and numerous squadrons of dive bombing pelicans, there was still plenty to see.
Santa Cruz
After breakfast, we said goodbye to Isabella and boarded a speed boat bound for Santa Cruz, the most populated island with about 23,000 inhabitants. It was here where we would spend our final days. To get there took two hours of cutting across the open Pacific, but eventually we made it.
I'm a big fan of cacti. So it was pretty great to see some of the giant Galápagos prickly pears. The really old ones, 100+ years, had even developed a bark like exterior lower on the plant!
Birds
The last major group of animals that needs to be addressed is birds. From the iconic blue footed booby to the Galápagos penguin, one could argue these islands belong to birds, not reptiles. There are others that deserve a shout out, but I can't name them all.
I apologize for my animal shots in advance. As I've never been much of a picture taker; I'm more of a live-in-the-moment person. I've been using an iPhone 6 to take all my pictures and I also didn't have a site until recently, so I never really thought about picture quality. Basically, iPhones are great for vistas out West, but not for animal close ups. There you have it.
Penguins: I really love these guys. They are absolutely hysterical. The Galápagos penguin is the only species that lives at the equator.
Blue Footed Booby: Hilarious. You can walk right up to them and they have this funny concerned look on their faces and just stare at you. In mating season they perform their famous dance when they find a mate. Another funny fact is that while either one of the couple is out fishing, it's common for the one left on shore to be led astray and find another mate. But the romance is quickly squashed upon the forager's return, without conflict, and estranged mate immediately embraces its returning partner.
Pelican: Speaking of diving, these guys put on some pretty awesome shows for us, taking turns stabbing the waves and making awesome fly-by's inches from the water. They also couldn't care less about people. As far as they are concerned, the islands belong to them. At one point I turned around at breakfast and there was a pelican not 2 feet away just starring at me. Also to note: these are the smallest breed in the world.
Darwin's Finches: There are a lot of these guys, and while not the most spectacular of the creatures, it was from their specialized beaks that Darwin first gleaned the idea of Natural Selection. They are one of the best ways to observe this the incredible specialization that exists in this ecosystem.
Frigate: Soaring high on winds the frigate has a hooked beak. Yet another specialization, the beak allows its owner to steal 90% of its food, usually from the booby. They are a fixture of the coastal skies.
Egrets: Elegant birds that spend their days eating in highlands, and at night nest in the mangroves that surround the shore. Watching this daily migration is like watching a natural ballet unfold before the setting sun.
We spent the late morning at the beach, and had lunch at a hacienda in the highlands.
The next day we returned to the highlands. It was December 31 and our last full day on the islands. We began by going to see wild giant tortoises in the wild. Other fun things we saw were lava tubes and a traditional coffee, and sugarcane plantation.
My Juan Valdez pose...
We returned to town, had lunch, walked around, visited the Darwin center to see land iguanas and saddle back tortoises. The town is a great little place. Of the 18 islands, 4 are populated, Santa Cruz, Isabella, San Cristóbal, and Floreana. It's also important to note that where ever you go, there is a statue, a plaque, or a reference to Charlie Darwin. His effect on this place has certainly not been forgotten.
Relaxing on my room's balcony, I took the time to soak up the views one last time. Dusk was approaching, and the egrets were returning in droves to their homes in the mangroves after a day of eating with the tortoises in the highlands. Set against the storm clouds, their contrasting white feathers made them stick out as they raced the sun and rain. It also should be noted that it never rained down by the sea. Often clouds like this would gather in the lowlands but rarely did they result in precipitation.
El Niño
One last science note, then I'm done, I promise. No place on earth is more sensitive to this phenomenon then the Galápagos. Sitting on the equator, in the Pacific, right at the nexus of three ocean currents, all these factors create a delicate balance in the island's ecosystem. El Niño just screws that all up.
This was especially relevant to our trip because we had arrived right in the beginning of this current pattern. The warmer waters have a severe affect on marine food sources, algae and bait fish, leaving animal populations decimated. It was too soon to assess how strong this one was, but in 1998, the penguin population dropped from around 5,000 to 2,000. Yeah, bad news.
It was New Years Day, and time to go back to the mainland. As we got off the water taxi, as if on command, a sea lion popped up and did his best to keep us off the pier. It was hard to tell whether he was trying to keep us there, or just wanted to make sure us punks knew this was his island! My money is on the latter.
The Galapágos, fragile, unique, and sealed off, that is – until we broke the seal – hold a wealth of information. Somehow, in the chaos of life, the equation eventually balances itself. Each species comes to depend on another in strange little ways. When something is cooked at just the right temperature for thousands of years, the equation is a thing of real beauty. If we lose them, these islands will never be replaced.
Life had one purpose: as nature is concerned: survive and persevere. This is Darwin's Natural Selection. The Galápagos also show perseverance can symbiotic perseverance. One species' success need not be a detriment to another. We have a lot to learn from these islands. Hopefully, while there is still time, we'll listen.