The Galapagos, "Crucible of Life": Part Six - Encounters with Wildlife

Most visitors nowadays come to these “Enchanted” volcanic isles aboard large boats, or some take land-based organized tours.

 Renowned underwater expert Valerie Taylor

Our expedition, several years ago, was very different.  Ron and Valerie Taylor, pioneering underwater photographers from Australia, were special guests aboard the first small-boat expedition (apart from Jacques Cousteau’s trip aboard “Calypso” decades earlier.)

It was a dive-snorkel trip that included shore visits to the major islands. Since I don’t dive, I opted for snorkeling instead.  There were only 10 of us, not like the large numbers who travel by ship nowadays.

Each island is different.  Fierce currents surround the islands:  most well-known is the Humboldt current, which brings cold waters from the Southern Ocean, but the Cromwell and the Panama Flow are not friendly to snorkelers either.

Although the Galapagos are located right on the Equator, the water can be very cold - the Galapagos Penguin is evidence. But ashore it’s a different story - very hot, especially when walking on the lava rocks and beaches.

While snorkeling we witnessed schools of fish speeding by, suddenly changing direction. Quite a sight to see! Then there are Barracuda, Hammerhead Shark, Golden Rays, Big-Eyed Jacks, Damselfish, Barber Fish, Yellow-tailed Surgeon fish, Pacific Reef turtles, Sea Lions, Fur Seals and Elephant Seals, just to name a few.

And you can’t forget the prehistoric-looking Marine Iguana grazing on the sea algae.  I mentioned the strong currents, these are the reason each island has a different kind of Marine Iguana. 

They cannot swim from island to island and through eons of evolution have each developed unique characteristics. On one island, they are skinny.  On another, they’re green, on another, fat and grey.  And so forth.

The Galapagos Islands are part of the Ring of Fire and have active volcanoes.  Even now, the Fernandina Island volcano has erupted 24 times in the past two years alone.

One day while enjoying a leisurely snorkel amongst a group of ‘lady’ seals – who are curious and come right up to you while performing what looks like an aqua ballet, suddenly I felt a nudge against my fins.  Then another.

Bull Sea Lion shows me who's boss.

Before I knew it, I landed on the lava rocks!  The cause?  A sea lion bull had literally tossed me out of the water.  Needless to say I was stunned.  I realized what had happened – he’d been protecting his ‘harem’ and showed me who was boss!

Charles Darwin demonstrated how all the Finches of the different islands are different.  There are giant tortoises, some born when Napoleon was alive, land iguanas, swallow-tailed gulls, frigate birds, owls, cormorants (who continue to ‘dry their wings’ even though they don’t have wings anymore), and of course the different kinds of Boobies.

Boobie comes from the Spanish word for clown, “Bobo”.  The blue-footed ones surely honour that name, when you see them stepping dapper, lifting their pastel-blue feet up for all to see!

The Galapagos are an archipelago, a ‘crucible’ for Life, a microcosm of planet Earth, and one of the most pristine areas in the world.  Let us take good care of these Enchanted Isles and do our very upmost to protect this precious realm.

To be continued, Part Seven (coming soon).

Henri van Bentum

Part Five: Encounters with Wildlife - South Georgia Island, Antarctica

 

Our vessel, the ice-strengthened "Professor Molchanov"

On another expedition, this time it was to a remote, uninhabited island in Antarctica:  South Georgia Island.  Our means of transportation was a Russian icebreaker.   The ship was a former Soviet hydrometeorlogical vessel, now chartered by an expedition company. 

 

Getting there from Ushuaia at the southernmost tip of Argentina (there are no airstrips on the island), we slalomed amongst giant icebergs. 

 Aboard one of the ship’s Zodiacs, South Georgia Island

The ship had zodiacs and we came up close to leopard seals, elephant seals, whales, and – of course – penguins.   We could smell the whales’ breath and see the barnacles on their skin, that’s how close we were.

  Elegant and majestic wanderer of the oceans, the Albatross

Seabirds such as Giant Petrels and Wandering Albatross abound.  One bird was a menace, the Skua, a predator of other birds’ chicks, also they dive bombed us!  South Georgia has recently been discovered to have one of the highest levels of biodiversity amongst all ecosystems on Earth.  In 2012, in order to protect marine biodiversity, the territory's government created the world's largest protected area – the South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Marine Protection Area – comprising 1.07 million sq. kms.

Elephant Seal with King Penguins, South Georgia Island

Ashore we encountered Macaroni and Adele penguins.  One spot had thousands and thousands of King Penguins with their chicks. We ascended a slippery path to view Albatross sitting on their nests.

 Black-Browed Albatross with chick, South Georgia Island

On one of our wanderings ashore, I was suddenly made aware of another presence.  A big roar, right behind me.  I thought, “Uh oh, a giant Bull Elephant Seal”.   Then turning around, I spotted a small Elephant Seal calf.  Talk about pretence and imitating his father.  Maybe only a couple months’ old.

Henri on South Georgia Island, Antarctica - where an Elephant Seal pup makes big, “scary” noise

As for the elements, we had weather galore.  Four cyclones!  These forced the Captain to keep the vessel in protected bays.  It definitely is a bonus to have a good pair of sea legs if you contemplate visiting this part of the planet.

 Henri van Bentum, South Georgia Island, with King Penguins

I was fortunate to experience this extraordinary place, a privilege to witness the wildlife and have these wonderful encounters.

Coming next:  Part Six

Henri van Bentum

Hippopotamuses or Hippo rap

Statuette of a Hippopotamus, Ancient Egypt, Middle Kingdom, approximately 2,000 years old

 

This story is very old

how old? Who knows?

It's about those Hippos

who, at one time, with their large mouth and teeth

devoured all the fish they could eat.

 Then a voice spoke from nowhere:

 "Friends, from now on you'll eat greens

and go ashore to defecate

so we can see if they'll be fish bones

from any fish you ate.

We need to prevent you from depleting 

all the fish you devour and may be  eating".

 That's how to this day

those colossal Hippos

only eat greens and hay.

Henri van Bentum

Part Four: more encounters with wilidlife

Little did we know we’d soon be returning to Africa only a few years after my first ‘safari’ (see previous post).  This time, it was aboard ship, via an around-the-world voyage with the venerable Royal Viking Line in 1974 as guest artist and lecturer. 

We had several ports of call in South Africa, Cape Town and Durban. Then onwards to Lourenco Marques in Mozambique, followed by Mombasa, Kenya. From Durban we headed due west inland to the Valley of the Thousands Hills, Zulu country.  We also visited a snake and crocodile farm.  The latter stop did not amuse us because we knew they made handbags and shoes out of their skins.

Rhino, the most dangerous animal in Africa

Mombasa was the departure point for a safari to Tsavo Park with wildlife galore.  Lions, wildebeest, giraffes, antelopes, the funny Secretary Bird, and rhino.  Our guide told us the rhino is the most dangerous animal of all.

Secretary Bird

Tsavo Park is known for its “red elephants”.  They’re not red, of course, but like to roll in the clay soil for relief from insects and the heat, and spray themselves with red sand.

While roaming through the Park in a safari Van  - - -  with open roof (to facilitate viewing and taking pictures - - - we came upon three lions sleeping in the shade on the road.

This is exactly how our lions looked

The Van approached slowly, they gradually got up and without even glancing in our direction, walked away.  Next we went off-road amongst trees and bush, and came face to face with a herd of elephants.  The male Bull Elephant was not amused and began flapping his ears.

The guide explained this was a warning signal:  the elephant was ready to charge.  The guide whispered to us, “Hush!  Be very, very quiet!” and prepared to reverse the Van. A sharp and loud shriek pierced our ears – a woman passenger became hysterical when the dangerous situation suddenly dawned on her.  A few moments before she had been happily taking pictures. Luckily, our cool-headed driver continued to slowly back up and brought us all to safety.  And how close was the Bull?  Ten metres! 

To be continued, Part Five.                                     

Henri van Bentum  

RAP - Wildlife Surprise Visitor

On a beautiful Mexican dia

in picturesque Puerto Vallarta

just putting on my sox

and preparing my desayuno

Upon opening the cereal box

out jumped a startled Gecko!

"Why do you disturb me?"

Henri van Bentum

To be continued, next: Part Four.