Today was a special day. Fog covered everything in the "Enchanted Islands". At first we could barely see the island itself. But later on, when the sun came out, it certainly was beautiful!
In the late morning we had an encounter with the Galapagos fur sea lion, which is a member of the Otaridae family, as is the Californian sea lion. Like the sea lions, the Galapagos fur sea lion is smaller than its nearest relatives. Visitors to the archipelago often confuse the fur sea lion with the Californian sea lion, but there are many minor differences that help with their identification. Fur sea lions are smaller in overall size and have a broader and shorter head and a very pointed nose. (They look as if they have had some very serious plastic surgery.) Their generic name: Arto=bear, cephalus=head, literally means "bear-headed". The major difference between these two species is in their fur coat. Fur sea lions have thick, dense fur which consists of two layers: an outer one of long guard hairs, and an inner one of short dense fur. Their heavy fur provides them with excellent insulation, which is important, as they live in areas with very cold waters.
