Today we’re featuring the reptiles of the Galápagos archipelago, and the photos came from reader Joe Dickinson:
Inspired by recent posts and comments on Galapagos wildlife, here are some photos of reptiles from my 2006 visit.
First a couple of marine iguanas (Amblyrhynchus cristatus):
Then a less common (or harder to find) land iguana (Conolophus subcristatus):
A lava lizard (Microlophus albenmarlensis?) (there are different species on different islands and I’m not sure which this is). [JAC: there are six species endemic to the archipelago: a mini-radiation that is neglected in favor of the finch radiation. Each species is found only on one island, implying that geographic isolation following invasion of different islands was important in their speciation.]
And, of course, some giant tortoises (Chelonoidis nigra) (subspecies unknown since I didn’t tag which island these were from).
I might add that based on comparisons to a previous visit in 1989, Ecuador seems to be doing a pretty good job of preservation: all shore visits booked in advance, only with a local guide, only on designated trails, etc. Tourism is, after all, a fine source of hard currency.
JAC: In my visit a while back, I too was impressed by the dedication of Ecuador to preserving this unique fauna and flora. No touching of the animals is permitted, either, though I once sat on the beach while a baby Galápagos sea lion (Zalophus wollebaeki) shuffled up to me and crawled into my lap. That was a fantastic experience, and since I didn’t initiate the contact, that was okay.
When we were there in 2012 all of the visitor restrictions mentioned were still in place. In addition we were told that there was tremendous pressure on the government to ease development restrictions around the few settlements on a couple of the islands. The President of Ecuador at the time was doing a great job of fending off these proposals. Also, we were told that there was a large migration of Ecuadorans to the islands seeking work in the tourist industry creating great population pressure on the settlements since most of these migrants were not finding work. The government was apparently working to develop and enforce residency restrictions in the settlements. Haven’t kept up with developments, so don’t know how all that is going.
It’s good to know Ecuador seems to be working to preserve this fantastic natural heritage. It is, of course, a world heritage as well. I’m a little fearful, however, that there efforts depend on a strong political will, which, I fear, could lag in the future in favor of economic pressures.
Very good. I think the marine iquana in the 2nd picture is in breeding colors.
Those iguanas seem to take their sunbathing seriously. Love it.
Wonderful – this trip is high on my bucket list.
You won’t regret it!