Española Island
One gets the impression that we have entered another world, where iguanas are basking on the rocks with playful sea lions as their neighbors. On the other hand, the blue-footed boobies were busy dancing and desperately looking for a mate.
This afternoon, we focused on the water activities. It was so beautiful to be part of the marine ecosystem of this enchanted island. Apart from the thousands of tropical fish we swam with down there, we spotted the ‘prima donna’ of the echinoderms, the blue sea stars (see picture).
Like all echinoderms, they are strictly bottom dwellers, and seem to have few enemies, suggesting that sea stars produce something that repels would-be predators.
The blue sea stars are slender and stiff, grow to a maximum diameter of approximately five inches, and have long, tapering arms with a smoothly pebbled surface.
One gets the impression that we have entered another world, where iguanas are basking on the rocks with playful sea lions as their neighbors. On the other hand, the blue-footed boobies were busy dancing and desperately looking for a mate.
This afternoon, we focused on the water activities. It was so beautiful to be part of the marine ecosystem of this enchanted island. Apart from the thousands of tropical fish we swam with down there, we spotted the ‘prima donna’ of the echinoderms, the blue sea stars (see picture).
Like all echinoderms, they are strictly bottom dwellers, and seem to have few enemies, suggesting that sea stars produce something that repels would-be predators.
The blue sea stars are slender and stiff, grow to a maximum diameter of approximately five inches, and have long, tapering arms with a smoothly pebbled surface.
