From Genovesa and Fernandina.
I tried really hard to get a single shot that captured how cool these Sally Lightfoot crabs look, but I actually think you get a better impression when you see all the angles together. These guys are everywhere on the islands, adding a splash of color to the sea-side rocks.
From mainland Ecuador and the Galápagos islands.
Ecuador is such a colorful place! Clockwise from top left:
From Isabela.
We saw these fascinating cliffs are we watched for penguins and seabirds. Isabela is a geological wonder; it’s one of the “youngest” islands in the Galapagos chain, and it still has 5 active volcanoes.
If you look closely, you can see tiny red Sally Lightfoot crabs dotting the rocks by the water.
From Santiago.
Marine iguanas go out in the midday to forage on exposed algae at low tide. They scrape the algae from the rocks with their teeth. They then return to raise their body temperature by basking in the sun.
Larger iguanas actually dive underwater to forage. Their greater surface area-to-volume ratio allows them to lose body heat more slowly in the cold Galápagos waters.
Charles Darwin called them “disgusting, clumsy Lizards” and “imps of darkness,” but these reptiles are fascinating despite their rough appearance.
Jedi by Knight 