Welcome back! To those of you who have missed us during this past month, we're back.
I'm very excited to be on the islands again and hoping to see all the changes that have occurred during my five-week break.
Galápagos gives us opportunities to enjoy trails on land as well as water activities. We take trips on our glass bottom boat, and we swim and snorkel. Snorkeling is one of the activities our guests enjoy the most. They have the chance to see the underwater world with its rich wildlife. It is a treat to be in the water with a large number of fishes. We often find tiny fish like the cardinal fish. Other times we see the "big guys," sharks! But fish are not the only attraction in the water. If we are lucky, we may also find marine turtles like the one in this photo.
The Pacific green turtle (Chelonia mydas agassisi) is the only resident species in the islands. During mating season, from November to January, these turtles are more easily seen. Several males may circle a mating couple and wait for their "turn". Mating takes place on the surface of the water. Male sea turtles can be distinguished from females by their size, as males are smaller than females. In addition, the male turtles have a long tail and a concave plastron. Turtles may weigh a maximum of 150 kg and individuals marked in the Galápagos have been found off the western coasts of South America, Costa Rica and Panamá.
Between December and June nesting occurs. Females come onto the beaches to lay their eggs. And deposit between sixty to eighty eggs in each nest. A female marine turtle may nest up to eight times in a season with egg laying taking place every two weeks. If you add this all up, she lays between 480 and 640 in one season!
To avoid predation females lay their eggs at night. For the same reason the hatchlings also emerge from the nests during the dark. The Pacific green turtle is threatened in other parts of the world due to human consumption of the eggs and adults and habitat loss. In the Galápagos, the Pacific green turtle is protected and here there is a large and healthy population. In addition to seeing these turtles while we snorkeled today, we also saw them mating close to the shore on Punta Cormorant!
Come and enjoy these jewels of nature.
