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 12 - We Love Boobies

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Dr. M wanted us to switch up the blog, so today's post is dedicated to the one and only blue-footed boobies. One of our favorite animals to see here in the Galápagos are the boobies. They are native to the islands, but not endemic. This means you can also find these birds throughout the Gulf of California, down to Peru. However, some of the species on the island are endemic, meaning they are only found on the islands. Yesterday, when we visited Isla Lobos, we saw so many blue-footed boobies and their babies. The chicks are super fluffy and white. We were surprised to see that the babies did not yet have their blue feet. Our tour guide informed us that their feet will turn blue once they can fish on their own and eat a consistent diet of fish. This change is coincident with their sexual maturity. We even saw a dad boobie sitting on an egg, keeping it warm (see if you can find it in the picture!) This morning as we were taking surveys, we were mesmerized by the boobies as they dove i...
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Day 3

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Hi everyone! This is Grace and Sarah! Our third day commenced with a great breakfast from the hotel. Then, we went to a Spanish lesson about ordering at restaurants and directions that was very beneficial for our communication. After the Spanish lesson, we had a lecture from Daniel Escobar about water in both Ecuador and the Galapagos. The lecture was fascinating and highlighted the fact that research with people is far more complicated and difficult than other kinds of research. Additionally, this lecture was important because it showed us how the Galapagos is a collapsed ecosystem that is overburdened with tourists each year. After the lecture, we started our tour of downtown Quito. The tour was fascinating and allowed us to see a different side of the city that the area around our hotel does not show. We saw several cathedrals and older, magnificent buildings, both of which are different from the area of Quito we are staying in. At the end of the tour, we had to the opportunity to t...
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