Up earlier than usual (how is that even possible?), we headed out in the pangas under dark grey clouds towards Black Turtle Cove on Santa Cruz Island—a red mangrove lagoon that can only be visited by panga. Because there is no landing site we slowly motored around the lagoon and up some of the larger channels as it began to drizzle. It wasn’t long before we saw our first Galapagos Green Sea turtles swimming gracefully in the waters.
Sometimes more red or yellow than green, these turtles generally spend their lives in the shallow waters of the Galapagos. Green Sea Turtles get their name because of the green color of their fat tissues not their shells. They eat algae that colors their tissues. When eating they stay under water for five to ten minutes. Yet, when they are resting, they can stay under the water for two and a half hours without coming up for air. While females leave the water to lay eggs, males generally spend their entire life in the ocean.
Adapted to the ocean, sea turtles’ limbs have evolved into flippers that they use to glide gracefully through the water. At times they look like they are flying. They have been tracked at speeds of 35 mph, can grow up to approximately 4.5 feet long, and can weight up to 650 lbs. The largest sea turtle ever recorded was 871 lbs. These turtles have a unique way of dealing with salt water. They have a salt gland behind each eye that sheds excess salt. Apparently it makes them look like they are crying. Maybe they are crying, but not because of the salt.
The female turtles climb the beaches, dig their burrows, lay their eggs, bury them, and then leave them alone to incubate. Once they hatch, the hatchlings have to find their own way back to the ocean. Not much motherly tenderness here. The sex of a turtle is determined by how far from the surface the egg is buried. Nearer to the surface is warmer and those eggs become females. Those eggs at the bottom, where it is cooler, become males—hence Eduardo’s little ditty—”hot chicks and cool dudes”. We saw both a nesting beach and a burrow while visiting Floreana Island—both empty of turtles and turtle eggs.
Some phenomenal number of hatchlings never make the trek across the beach to the surf as there are a dozen or so predators to pick them off. Elsewhere human habitation near nesting sites has dramatically reduced the number of hatchlings that make it to the ocean. They are particularly vulnerable to human light pollution. They’ll head towards any light source and away from the ocean. And if this wasn’t enough, turtle eggs are considered a delicacy all over the world. There are efforts worldwide to help reduce the impact on these new hatchlings.
Plastic bags and straws are particularly harmful to sea turtles. Some sea turtles eat jellyfish and can’t tell the difference between a water filled plastic bag floating in the water and a jellyfish. If you are uniformed about the harm that plastic straws do, just google “plastic straws and turtles”. Those videos will surely put you off plastic straws. Eduardo has reminded us a few times about the evils of plastic bags and straws. Turtles across the world are endangered and most, critically so.
On most of our snorkel trips we saw the Galapagos Green sea turtles—sometimes in groups of four or five—sometimes singularly. Out of the depths, they’d appear and slowly glide towards us—swimming under us or beside us without showing fear or annoyance. I think all of us experienced at least once, swimming along side one these gentle giants as if we were companions. One particular occasion, I floated slightly above and to the side of one for some time. He appeared to be watching me, as together we swam slowly in a large circle. I thought about reaching out and holding “hands”. I think just maybe, the turtle would have been okay with it. It was a magical moment for me at least. For the turtle, well, probably, not so much.
Brown pelicans and blue herons fished the lagoon waters. We saw our first Lava and Striated herons standing among the mangrove roots. Small Black-tipped reef sharks and Leopard rays swam around the pangas. Today was the first day though that we didn’t see the ever playful sea lions! Hanging out in mangroves doesn’t allow them suitable habitat for hauling out to rest.
Visiting the Galapagos, it is impossible to not come away with a greater understanding of both evolution and its companion—natural selection. In such a unique and isolated environment these concepts are broken down into their simplest examples. Perhaps we should mandate that all Creationists spend time on the Galapagos. (Maybe all Flat Earther’s need to take a space flight, too!)
And it follows that visiting any wild place you gain a greater understanding of how critically endangered these wild places are and with them, all the endemic animals and plants—large and small—that make these places their home.
As we headed back to the boat, the skies let loose and it poured on us.
