Today, our guests explored Santiago Island, the same island where Charles Darwin spent much of his time during his visit to the Galápagos in 1835. Darwin, along with several crewmembers from HMS Beagle, camped on Santiago for a week. During his stay, he studied the Galápagos marine and land iguanas, and collected a variety of species, including finches, mockingbirds, insects, and plants. Many of these species were unique to the islands. While on Santiago, Darwin also observed that the local wildlife appeared unusually unafraid of humans.
1/2/2025
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National Geographic Islander II
Santiago Island
The day began at Buccaneer Cove, a place steeped in history, where choppy waters did not prevent us from enjoying a magical sunrise by kayak. As we paddled, we were surrounded by impressive volcanic formations emerging from the sea, vestiges of a past marked by pirates and explorers. In the afternoon at Puerto Egas, we walked along the coast where we observed sea lions resting, Sally Lightfoot crabs, and land iguanas. The highlight of the outing was when a female sea lion gave birth to a pup, which quickly attracted three Galapagos hawks, who fed on the placenta. In a protective act, the mother sea lion moved the baby to an improvised shelter to protect it from predators. This sighting was a vivid reminder of the delicate ecological balance of the Galapagos, where hawks, as top predators, and sea lions, with their protective instinct, play crucial roles in the survival and adaptation of species.
