EXPLORING NATURE: GALAPAGOS ISLANDS

When I visited the Galapagos Islands many years ago, members of our group enjoyed walking along a black sand beach and wading out into the cool ocean water. But we were hesitant to wade out too far, because we had been told the area had a robust population of hammerhead sharks.

And while we were assured the sharks were mostly harmless, no one wanted to stay in the water very long.

We were also informed that sometimes whale sharks visited the area. These gentle giants can grow up to 65 feet long and weigh up to 50,000 pounds. While they are filter feeders and dine mostly on plankton, no one wanted to risk being swallowed in their gaping mouth, so we stayed mostly on the beach.

While on Santa Cruz Island, we saw the famous Galapagos tortoises in the wild and also saw a captive tortoise which was by far the star attraction — Lonesome George.

Lonesome George was kept in a large pen and well cared for. His keepers brought in several female tortoises in hopes of breeding more giant tortoises. But Lonesome George just ignored all the females and ate his lettuce leaves.

Another attraction of the islands were the marine iguanas, especially on Isabela Island. The ones we saw were all gray and black, but I was told there is an occasional pink iguana.

Rangers at the Santa Cruz park headquarters are currently searching the island hills for a suitable male to hook up with a giant female tortoise penned up and awaiting a mate. The female’s name is Fernanda.

I hope they have more luck than they did with Lonesome George.

When I visited the Galapagos, the animals and avian life were quite unafraid of humans. You could walk around and the bluefooted boobies would just seem a bit curious about you. I’m glad I saw the place before climate change, habitat loss and rodent introduction changed things for the worse.

And I’m especially glad I saw Lonesome George.