The door shuts behind us and we are enclosed in a room that is finally air conditioned. We start a two minute timer and begin waiting for our body temperatures to lower. A fan on the ceiling wicks away sweat that had built up on our faces as we walked about the boardwalk. Along the boardwalk we had stopped at information bulletins that talked about the preservation work being done here at the Charles Darwin Research Station. Bzzz, bzzz, bzzz, our timer is up. Tomas, our tour guide, opens the condensation covered door and we enter the exhibit. There, on a pedestal in the center of the room is a glass case where Lonesome George now resides. Lonesome George died in 2012, signifying the extinction of the species he stood to represent. His passing did not go unrecognized –cash prizes had been offered in the decades prior to anyone who might have been able to find him a mate, and his social media presence flourished, making him a symbol of the preservation of biodiversity. When he died, his massive body was transported around the world for taxidermy, bringing experts of multitudes of nationalities together to preserve Lonesome George and his message for the generations of the future. Our guide instructs us to take a moment of silence. We study the corpse in front of us. His shell seems gigantic and immovable, but a glance towards his four leathery legs remind us of this animal’s incredible strength. I wonder how many more animals will be driven to the state of the tortoise in front of me. I am proud of the work I have done on this trip to help preserve the other tortoise species and all that they bring to this planet.
Unlike the ban on photography that was in effect while we were studying the tortoises in the field yesterday, today we were encouraged to take photos of everything we saw. Almost as soon as we got off the bus in the town of Puerto Ayora we were graced with the presence of the magnificent wildlife on Santa Cruz Island. Lava lizards scrambled over the rocks off the path, and on a boat launch near the entrance to the Charles Darwin Research Center was a large group of marine iguanas, a species endemic to the Galapagos and that also happens to be the only species of iguana capable of living in the water. The ones closest to us were the largest, about 2 ½ feet in length. An interesting fact about these iguanas that we also learned today is that, when food is scarce, they have the ability to shrink their entire bodies (including their skeletons) in order to require less energy to survive. This often happens in the dry season when the marine life is slightly weaker and less nutrient-dense due to the cold, rich Humboldt current being overpowered by a warmer one. Above this bay circled brown pelicans and various frigatebirds, all of which made for some great photography. Later on in the Research Center we were surrounded by Galapagos Prickly Pear cacti, whose flowers only bloom for one day out of the year. We were able to spot a few of these special flowers along the boardwalk. Lastly in the Research Center we found multiple species of giant tortoises, including both saddleback and dome shell tortoises. This time, we were able to take pictures of these magnificent creatures, from young to old, inside their enclosures. Later tonight I hope to be able to catch some photos of the beautiful sky here before we leave the highlands of Santa Cruz for some more populated areas.
