Española Island

This morning as we walked between colonies of marine iguanas we were greeted by the strange sounds of baby sea lions trying to find their mothers.

In the afternoon we switched our focus to water activities such as the glass bottom boat, swimming and deep water snorkeling. A fellow naturalist with the help of an underwater camera captured this small marine turtle-like shell attached to a rock. When we took a closer look we discovered a different creature altogether. It was a Giant Galapagos chiton. This animal is a bottom cleaner that feeds on algae found on rocks. It has a very hard shell, and attaches to the rocks with such strength, that it is impossible to remove. Normally this creature feeds only at night and spends the daylight hours hidden, but when we have a full moon these animals go out of the water and to the top of the rocks to receive the light of the moon. It’s a mystery why these animals do this.

In a few days, we will have a full moon and who knows what’s going to happen on this enchanted island.