Santa Cruz Island
The air temperature in Galapagos is pretty high. This is the time when land birds court, and it is also the breeding season for reptiles. To attest to it, I present this picture of two iguanas looking at each other through a narrow window. One is a male, the other one a female, and needless to say, they are in love.
As in Romeo and Juliet’s tragedy, there is a “balcony” in between their affection, but soon, their fate will be sealed. Their destiny is to be together, to procreate and to repopulate Isabela, the largest Galapagos Island.
One of the great programs of the National Park Service and the Charles Darwin Research Station is the breeding and raising of land iguanas. This species is in danger. There are many introduced animals on their home island that have decimated the land iguana population. However, these two iguanas, together with a few other pairs, have been taken to the Charles Darwin Station to breed. Here their eggs will be incubated, and their hatchlings cared for. In five years, Romeo and Juliet’s descendants will be sent back to Isabela, as part of the restoration of their home island.
They are impatiently waiting to be together. Soon, as the temperature continues to rise, the mesh will be removed, and male and female land iguana will be able to satiate their passion.
The air temperature in Galapagos is pretty high. This is the time when land birds court, and it is also the breeding season for reptiles. To attest to it, I present this picture of two iguanas looking at each other through a narrow window. One is a male, the other one a female, and needless to say, they are in love.
As in Romeo and Juliet’s tragedy, there is a “balcony” in between their affection, but soon, their fate will be sealed. Their destiny is to be together, to procreate and to repopulate Isabela, the largest Galapagos Island.
One of the great programs of the National Park Service and the Charles Darwin Research Station is the breeding and raising of land iguanas. This species is in danger. There are many introduced animals on their home island that have decimated the land iguana population. However, these two iguanas, together with a few other pairs, have been taken to the Charles Darwin Station to breed. Here their eggs will be incubated, and their hatchlings cared for. In five years, Romeo and Juliet’s descendants will be sent back to Isabela, as part of the restoration of their home island.
They are impatiently waiting to be together. Soon, as the temperature continues to rise, the mesh will be removed, and male and female land iguana will be able to satiate their passion.
