Marine Iguanas Checking Out the Neighborhood

Day 3 (February 25th) of our Galapagos Trip--Today we sailed to the island of Fernandina-one of the newest islands in the Galapagos, an imposing volcano rising to nearly 5000 feet. It is one of the most active volcanoes in the world. We saw thousands of marine iguanas, birds of many types and sea lions.

The marine iguanas are the only true marine lizard in the world. They feed almost entirely on marine algae. They dive to a depth of 10m, hang on to rocks with their powerful claws and graze the algae. As can be seen in the picture, they are very gregarious. Interestingly, they have special glands that that help remove excess salt from their bodies--they eject a fine spray from their nostrils-like a sneeze.