The Galápagos Islands - Adventure Guide to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands - page 389

swimming near shore. BetweenDecember and June, females lay eggs
on the beaches and leave the future hatchlings to fend for themselves.
The few young that reach the water may swim thousands of miles
away, but they ultimately return to nest at the very same beaches
where they were born.
Iguanas
There are three species of iguanas on the islands. One, the marine
iguana , is the only seafaring lizard in the world. It takes to the ocean
to feed on seaweed. Common along the rocky shores of most islands,
marine iguanas tend to pile on top of each other as they lounge. The
skin of a marine iguana is generally a scaly black (on males, the skin
turns bright colors during mating periods).
The marine iguana's cousin, the land iguana , spends its entire life
on land. There are two species: the Galápagos land iguana and the
Santa Fé land iguana. Land iguanas are generally larger than ma-
rine iguanas and similar to each other in appearance, colored in
shades of yellow. Both species feast primarily on prickly-pear cactus
and live farther away from the spray of crashing waves than the ma-
rine iguana.
Mammals
Seals & Seal Lions
Seals and sea lions represent the most noticeable of the
few mammals that reside on the islands. The Galápagos
sea lion is a subspecies of the California sea lion, and is
distinguished from a true seal by its external ears and its
use of front flippers for swimming. The sea lion is quite prolific
throughout the islands; it is estimated that there are over 50,000 in-
dividuals. While it may be tempting to try to get a close-up photo of
one of these adorable creatures, keep in mind that a saltwater sneeze
fromone of these beasts is about as disgusting as it gets. Also, don't be
surprised if the dominant bull chases after you. They are particularly
aggressive; snorkeling in a bull's territory is not advised.
The smaller Galápagos fur seal is endemic to the archipelago and is
more active at night. It is characterized by thick, radiant fur - a
prized commodity during the fur-hunting era of the 1800s. While the
fur seal was at one point on the brink of extinction, its population to-
day is fully recovered.