Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island
It’s been a tortoise day! We humans share 100% of our genetic material, but tortoises from the different islands in Galapagos share 96% of them. Hence the tortoises are classified as separate races or subspecies. This morning, at the Darwin Research Station, we saw several species of tortoises. Our favorite tortoise of the day was Lonesome George. He is the last of his race from the island of Pinta. George has his own private corral, which he shares with two beautiful, female tortoises from Isabela Island. CDRS is involved in a tortoise repatriation program and we viewed the “little giant Galapagos tortoises” that had been hatched at the station.
We spent the afternoon in the highlands of Santa Cruz, where the vegetation and the climate were completely different from the coastal regions we had thus far visited. It was lush, green and cool. We visited two pit craters that had something in common with us. They are called “Los Gemelos” or “The Twins." But we look more similar than they do! Walking in the scalesia forest we saw the male vermilion flycatcher. After this geological stop, we drove to a farm where we were fascinated to see and photograph wild tortoises. The wild animals were very shy compared with those at the research station. There were many tortoises and they were all over the place! Some were eating, others were refreshing themselves in the ponds or stretching their necks, which is the way they invite the Darwin finches to clean them. Unlike the tortoises, who are rather unsociable, our family enjoyed spending the day together shopping in the town of Puerto Ayora and touring the highlands.
It’s been a tortoise day! We humans share 100% of our genetic material, but tortoises from the different islands in Galapagos share 96% of them. Hence the tortoises are classified as separate races or subspecies. This morning, at the Darwin Research Station, we saw several species of tortoises. Our favorite tortoise of the day was Lonesome George. He is the last of his race from the island of Pinta. George has his own private corral, which he shares with two beautiful, female tortoises from Isabela Island. CDRS is involved in a tortoise repatriation program and we viewed the “little giant Galapagos tortoises” that had been hatched at the station.
We spent the afternoon in the highlands of Santa Cruz, where the vegetation and the climate were completely different from the coastal regions we had thus far visited. It was lush, green and cool. We visited two pit craters that had something in common with us. They are called “Los Gemelos” or “The Twins." But we look more similar than they do! Walking in the scalesia forest we saw the male vermilion flycatcher. After this geological stop, we drove to a farm where we were fascinated to see and photograph wild tortoises. The wild animals were very shy compared with those at the research station. There were many tortoises and they were all over the place! Some were eating, others were refreshing themselves in the ponds or stretching their necks, which is the way they invite the Darwin finches to clean them. Unlike the tortoises, who are rather unsociable, our family enjoyed spending the day together shopping in the town of Puerto Ayora and touring the highlands.
