Charles Darwin, Lonesome George, and a Carnivore??

Mom's Big World Assignment in the Galapagos Islands continued.....

.....on Santa Cruz Island to the Charles Darwin Research Center.  A main focus of this Center is to prolong and breed the Galapagos Tortoise population to avoid extinction.

The Tortoises in my previous post were in the wild, but there are some friendly resident Tortoises that live here.

Juan:  Hey look!  It's JB's mom!

Jose:  I think you are right, Juan!  It is JB's mom!! Let's tell George too!

The Charles Darwin Center is also home to "Lonesome George", who is the last known living Pinta Tortoise.  The Center continues to try to encourage George to breed with other species of Tortoises to try to continue his blood line, but so far no luck.   
George looks a bit sad, don't you think?

Since the 1970's, the Center has been successful in bringing population numbers of 10 endangered species of Tortoises back to guarded levels.  Each Tortoise is numbered on their shell to keep track of them.
Then came something mom truly did not want to see.....

Tortoises are naturally vegetarian, but here was rebel Tortoise #17, eating my friend, the Rat!  This is very unusual and someone from the Center came immediately to remove the Rat.

Ok, on that note, I hope my next new animal friends will not be DEAD!!

 Next up will be a hike to an old volcanic crater, to search for Darwin's Finches!

Before you go, please sign my GUESTBOOK here, and stop by JB's SMALL WORLD too, thanks! 

Giant Green Prehistoric Looking Things!

JB:  Mom, are we really still in the Galapagos Islands?  

Mom:  Yes, JB.  I am sorry, but I took 1500 pictures, you know!  Next stop was Santa Cruz Island.

JB:  Ok, what is this next animal, mom??  Is it a super-sized bowling ball?

Mom:  No, JB, these are your new friends, the Galapagos Giant Tortoises!  These species are also "endemic" to the Galapagos Islands!

JB:  They are huge, mom.  I could ride on his back and not even get my furs wet in the water!

I wondered why they look so old, and found out they can live to 100 years and the oldest one on record was 170 years old! 

I think this one forgot to put on sunscreen.  Look at his parched skin!  He looks kind of prehistoric, don't you think?

Most of my new friends were friendly, but this one got a little snappy with mom.

"Here's looking at you, JB!"

I LOVE my GIANT new friends.   

These really are some Giant Green Prehistoric Looking Things! 

Before you go, please sign my GUESTBOOK here, and stop by JB's SMALL WORLD too, thanks! 

More Animal Friends, Four by Two, and a Slithering Friend!

The Galapagos Islands adventure continued on.  Ok, mom, now weren't you getting just a little bit silly on North Seymour Island?

As mom and her friends were leaving the Boobies and their nests, they tried to pretend they were just like.....

These four Marine Iguanas, all lined up in a row!  

Very funny, mom!

Then what did mom come across?

These two Swallow-Tailed Gulls!

And they were preening their feathers in unison!

There were some juvenile Swallow-Tailed Gulls on the ground, who were just fledglings and learning to fly.  They look quite different than the adults!

Then mom almost stepped on this slithering new friend of mine!  

It is a Galapagos Snake and it is endemic to the Galapagos Islands!

So wehre did your Big World Assignment take mom next?  

To see some pretty little birdies and some GINORMOUS tortoises!  

Stay tuned!

Before you go, please sign my GUESTBOOK here, and stop by JB's SMALL WORLD too, thanks!