Trip photos

 This page will be updated with photos taken by students and faculty throughout the duration of the trip

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Day 13 - Galapagos Sea Lions

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We're switching up the blog again, but instead of Blue-footed Boobies were talking about the Galapagos Sea Lions. These funny animals have a huge personality and are endemic to the Galapagos islands (vocab word from the last post, can you remember what it means?). You can find these animals all over San Cristobal: at the sandy beaches, the rocky beaches, the piers, the streets, we even saw one jump into a fisherman's boat! Every morning we get to wake up to the screams and screeches of the baby sea lions asking for milk from their mothers.  These wonderful animals have such friendly personalities, but this can put the sea lions, and humans, in a vulnerable position. Sea lions have become so accustomed to the presence of humans that they are not afraid of getting close to them. Some tourists will attempt to touch these animals, and even put their babies on them. This can lead to transmission of diseases, or to a sea lion bite. Ouch! They may look cute, but they do not appreciate...
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Day 24 - The Galapagos Penguin

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We know that our quick encounter with the Galapagos penguin was mentioned previously, but today, we wanted to go into a little more detail about these cool little birds! The Galapagos penguin is endemic to the islands and is the only species of penguin that can be found in the northern hemisphere. They are also one of the smallest penguin species, making them even cuter. These birds love to eat fish that reside in cold water, so they like to spend their time where the Humboldt and Cromwell currents meet and create cold, deep waters. When we were snorkeling, our guide Ariana told us that the little black spots on the penguins' stomachs are similar to human fingerprints. Each penguin has a unique pattern of spots, so if you take pictures of the penguins, you can tell which ones you have seen before! I think we are speaking for the group when we say that the penguins were one of our favorite animals we have seen on this trip. Unfortunately, these birds are endangered, with only about ...
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Day 21 - How did the Galápagos form?

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Many groups of islands, such as Hawaii and Maldives, form long chains of islands springing up one after another. Other groups of islands, such as the Galápagos Islands, create a cluster of islands, forming no distinct line. So, why are the Galápagos in a seemingly random cluster, and not in a neat, little line?  Groups of islands are most often created by volcanic activity--volcanoes erupting underwater and creating masses of land rising from the ocean's floor. Most communities of islands are created from one hot-spot. For example, Hawaii only needed one hot-spot create its long chain of islands. However, this seems nonsensical. How can one volcanic hot-spot lead to the formation of several islands?  This seemingly impossible feat is accomplished by the movement of the Earth's tectonic plates. These plates make up the Earth's outer surface and are constantly--but very slowly--moving. As the plates crawl over a volcanic hot spot, the eruptions bursting through the Earth'...
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