Galapagos, Day 3: entertaining Encounters with the Sea Lions

The third day was all about the sea lions. They are all around the islands, but there are some preferred places where numerous groups can be found en masse. As fellow mammals, it is normal to feel close to them, even at an emotional level. Almost as if their gestures, their cries, their movements, their stares and looks, their poses, possess the same meaning our own do. We do this as humans. We mirror and project our own emotions in other animals. Sometimes we might be right. Sometimes we might be wrong. Either way, observing the sea lions is incredibly entertaining because they are clearly intelligent creatures, with whims, and with will.

I am convinced, that like us, the Galapagos sea lion shows affection to those they feel close to, and contempt to those they don’t. Their pups play at pretend, and race in the water, competing for their mum’s attention, and milk. They are also show-offs – absolutely unafraid of us, humans, I am pretty sure they see themselves – rightly so – as the owners of the islands, superior to these two-legged creatures in every way. In fact, I was amusing myself thinking I was probably being mocked by them – because whilst they might move clumsily on land, they are fantastic swimmers and hunters, and have all the time in the world to do what we humans surely wish could to as well with most of our time – sleep in the sun, in the warm sands of beautiful islands without a worry in the world.

We started the morning with a walk in South Plaza. Even though we were in June, in a place where the four seasons don’t really correlate to those I experienced in Europe, on this island it was Autumn. The sky was overcast, but the ground was covered in golden bushes, yellow, orange, golden brown, an autumnal tapestry that I found incredibly beautiful.

First, we had an encounter with the Swallow-Tailled Gulls. The red ring around their eyes, and the white dotted feathers in the tail, make them immediately recognisable, but far from being the only things that make them special. It is the only nocturnal gull in the world as they only hunt for food at night – feeding on squid and small fish that swim close to the surface of the water at night, far from land (about 30km). You’ll always see them in pairs – as the penguins, they are monogamous. If you see one standing alone, it means they haven’t found their partner for life yet.

Yet, it’s the Galapagos Sea Lions that will keep you entertained. Whilst they are officially a subspecies of the California Sea Lion, some claim that they are separate and unique to the islands. There are about 50,000 individuals calling the Galapagos their home. The males are huge, often crying out loud callings. The females are definitely a lot more elegant and graceful, in and out of the water. And the pups are just the cutest little things.

Apart from the Sea Lions, we also spotted the Galapagos Land Iguana. Or, as I prefer to call them, golden little dragons, even though they aren’t so little. In fact, their appearance might be fearsome, they have large claws and while you often see them still, their legs are incredibly powerful allowing them to run fast. Still, they are vegetarians – the more correct term, herbivores. They mostly feed on fruits and leaves of the prickly pear cacti found in some parts of the islands. Their yellow colour is a sign of health – if they are looking grey, quite literally, it means they’re hungry and not at their best.

They can live for up to 50 years in the wild, but the Galapagos Land Iguana is officially listed as “vulnerable”. Their population declined severely since the time Darwin visited the island – the main culprits being introduced species such as cats, dogs, pigs and rats. In fact, in 1976, an entire population on the island of Santa Cruz was decimated by wild dogs in just 6 months.

I was really living my dreams – not only of visiting the Galapagos, pretending to be some sort of biologist apprentice for some days, but also of being a professional photographer. I am actually so happy with the photos I managed to capture. But the animals made it easier – by not running away, always so close to us, trusting us fully. As I was trusting them too.

Love,

Nic