Bartolome/Santiago
These islands always provide interesting, humorous and insightful discussions on animal behavior. They are so highly enjoyable, as well as extremely educational, that after fourteen years of working as a naturalist in the islands I still find every single trip is different, and I am always learning something new.
During the afternoon outing we saw one of the unique marine mammal species that have found a little ecological niche in this remote archipelago: the Galapagos fur seals (Arctocephalus galapagoensis). These animals have adopted crevices, nooks and crannies amongst tumbled rocks or broken up lava flows as their natural habitat. The different habitats are one of the many things enabling one to tell our two sea lion species apart, along with several different physical characteristics, such as the more bear-like heads (it is in fact this feature that gives these animals their scientific name: Arcto=bear, cephalus=head).
The fact that we are able to observe them in their natural habitat introduces us to the delightful and intriguing world of our marine neighbors, whose mysterious ways and watery kingdom never cease to fascinate.
They have large eyes, prominent snouts and a fusiform shape; they can swim at speeds of up to fifteen miles per hour. They also possess a dense layer of under-fur that traps small bubbles, thus keeping the skin dry while the stiffer guard hairs protect the body from abrasion.
These islands always provide interesting, humorous and insightful discussions on animal behavior. They are so highly enjoyable, as well as extremely educational, that after fourteen years of working as a naturalist in the islands I still find every single trip is different, and I am always learning something new.
During the afternoon outing we saw one of the unique marine mammal species that have found a little ecological niche in this remote archipelago: the Galapagos fur seals (Arctocephalus galapagoensis). These animals have adopted crevices, nooks and crannies amongst tumbled rocks or broken up lava flows as their natural habitat. The different habitats are one of the many things enabling one to tell our two sea lion species apart, along with several different physical characteristics, such as the more bear-like heads (it is in fact this feature that gives these animals their scientific name: Arcto=bear, cephalus=head).
The fact that we are able to observe them in their natural habitat introduces us to the delightful and intriguing world of our marine neighbors, whose mysterious ways and watery kingdom never cease to fascinate.
They have large eyes, prominent snouts and a fusiform shape; they can swim at speeds of up to fifteen miles per hour. They also possess a dense layer of under-fur that traps small bubbles, thus keeping the skin dry while the stiffer guard hairs protect the body from abrasion.
