Day 20 in GALAPAGOS!!!!

 

Hi everyone!

Today was super exciting, we started out the day surveying and then we went to the Charles Darwin Research Station.  First we learned out the three different types of iguanas, where the black marine iguana we see the most is very interesting with the adaptations it has regarding El Niño. When El Niño happens, it shrinks about 30% of its body size to acclimate to the colder fronts moving in so they don’t have to waste any body energy or heat to survive. We also learned that it is the smallest iguana within the archipelago but can grow to be between 3-14 kilos on some of the northernmost islands. After learning about the iguanas we learned about the Galapagos Tortoises. At the research station they breed multiple species from the different islands. One cool fact we learned that our guide pointed out was that sex is determined by temperature of incubation while in captivity. For males it is 28° C and for females it is 29.5° C. And their incubation is around 120 days at breeding facilities but in the wild it can take up to around 180 days. While we were there we were able to see Lonesome George’s body, which was preserved and is now kept in a secure climate controlled room. Everything we learned today was super interesting, we can’t wait for more days like this! We are now finishing out our day with an empanada and movie night back at the hotel! 

See you on the next one! 

Meredith