Tourists realize quickly when visiting the Galapagos that it’s an iguanas’ world. The prehistoric-looking creature is fascinating to watch. I must’ve taken 50 photos when I first spotted the dragonesque lizard. After a few days, we were trying to make sure we didn’t run any of them over or invade their space.
Iguanas are everywhere in the Galapagos. There are two main types of them: marine iguanas and land iguanas.
The marine iguanas have a tough life. The iguanas find all of their meals in the ocean, which requires a lot of energy. Their flat tails and long claws help them swim in the ocean and cling to rocks. They can hold their breath for 30 to 40 minutes as they dive for algae at the bottom of the sea floor. They can dive up to 30 meters. The search for food is exhausting, so they rest in the sun for hours, occasionally sneezing out the salt they digested while foraging for food.
Charles Darwin once described land iguanas as “ugly animals.” I disagree. I think they’re kind of cute. Land iguanas feed off of cacti, fruit, and grass. Land iguanas are also much larger than marine iguanas and hide in caves, burrows, and under rocks.
When visiting the Galapagos, one of the more popular things that is said is, “look, there’s an iguana.” We saw them on beaches, rocks, swimming holes, benches, sidewalks, and even the road. Iguanas always have the right of way in Galapagos. There were times I was walking around and not paying attention, then noticed my foot was right by one. Residents of the Galapagos are very protective of Iguanas, and let tourists know to stay away from them. Which can be hard to do, because they are everywhere.
One lesson iguanas taught me is that we can all share the same space. It takes a bit of respect and is doable. One could rush through time, bulldozing over anyone or anything it our way. Or, we could move along at a pace where everyone can cohabitate. The latter is a much more peaceful way.
Also Read:
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Tips For Visiting Machu Picchu
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I agree with Darwin, they are ugly; however I enjoyed your photos and article.
I love the photo of them all peering over the edge, sort of like muppets or meerkats. I don’t find them ugly, they’ve a charm all their own.
I’m glad I came by to your blog, I started following it a few days ago and wasn’t sent a notification of a new post.
Thank you for following. It was fun to watch the little ones looking over.