There aren’t many animals out there with a better name than the Lava Lizard.
Seriously, try and think of a cooler named animal…I bet you can’t!
The Española Lava Lizard (Microlophus delanonis) one of 9 Endemic Lava Lizards in the Galapagos
Visit the Galapagos Islands and you’ll undoubtedly come across these skittish little creatures. While not unique to the Galapagos (Lava lizards are common to other destinations, in particular Peru), there are nine Lava Lizard species that are endemic to the Galapagos Islands. As with the birds, tortoises and larger iguanas; the lava lizards have evolved on each island to be genetically unique.
A Floreana Lava Lizard (Microlophus grayii) photographed at Punta Cormorant
That’s one of those oddly interesting things about the Galapagos. You can sail to a different island in a couple of hours and see similar-looking animals, but their size, colour and habits will be slightly different – unique – from their relatives found on the other islands.
Some Galapagos Lava Lizards are brightly coloured, others are quite dull. (Females are often bright red in colour, males are dull grey or brown). Different islands have different sized Lava Lizards too, but they’re all pretty similar. I tried to challenge myself to find as many different species as I could on the islands, I spotted Lava Lizards on Espanola, Floreana, Bartolome, Sombrero Chino, South Plaza, San Cristobal and Isabela Islands.
A San Cristóbal Lava Lizard (Microlophus bivittatus) photographed at Isla Lobos
I captured decent photos of four different species, each pictured in this article, which help show the different shapes, colours and sizes of these lizards.
A Galápagos Lava Lizard (Microlophus albemarlensis) seen on Isabela Island
Unfortunately some of them were too elusive for the camera, so my photos of them are just tails, or specks too far away. I also failed in spotting any Lava Lizards breathing through their eyelids. Sadly that seems to be a myth from the classic baseball movie Bull Durham. Lava Lizards breathe through their nostrils. (Click on the Espanola or San Cristobal photos and you should see their nostrils.)
Another Galapagos Lava Lizard (Microlophus albemarlensis), the most widespread of the Galapagos species. This was on South Plaza Island.
When it comes to Giant Tortoises, nobody does it better than the Galapagos Islands.
Far from the busy Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz Island is the Giant Tortoise Breeding Center on Isabela Island.
A ‘Little’ Giant Tortoise at the Giant Tortoise Breeding Center on Isabela Island
You won’t find Lonesome George or any other famous tortoises here, nor will you find any crowds. On my visit to the Giant Tortoise Breeding Centre I was the only person there, aside from the workers. It was the perfect, private tortoise experience.
To get there, you need to be staying on the largest island of the Galapagos – Isabela. From the town of Puerto Villamil, it’s an enjoyable boardwalk path around some lagoons and a forest. The walk there is short and simple, about 1km or so. Along the way you’ll see wading and migratory birds, perhaps some flamingos, lava lizards and marine iguanas too.
The Boardwalk to Giant Tortoiseland on Isabela island
After the little nature walk, you arrive at the Galapagos Tortoise Breeding Center, which is all business. It is actually quite a large complex, with many different corrals, or holding areas for the tortoises.
Most tortoises here are species from southern Isabela Island and they’re identified by the shape of their shells. Isabela Island has five distinct giant tortoises, each associated with a different volcano and area on the island. Some of them are recognized by their flat, saddleback shells, while others have higher, domed shape shells. The different shell shapes come from the environment they live in and the food available for them to eat.
The Giant Tortoises of Isabela Island, Galapagos
It is thought that the saddleback shells of the Sierra Negro Giant Tortoises allow them to stretch higher to reach food from the opuntia / prickly pear cactus. Interesting huh?
The feeding time at the center was actually quite amusing to watch. The tortoises gather around large, circular troughs, munching away so you’re left staring at tortoise butts. No stragglers here either, if you’re off in a far away corner at feeding time, you better speed along to get your place at the trough!
Feeding Time at the Giant Tortoise Breeding Center on Isabela Island
When not feeding they’re ambling around with plenty of space, enjoying the good life while the researchers here get them ready for breeding or being sent off into the wild to sustain their populations.
Getting a one-on-one tour around the center and being free to wander around on my own, this was a super relaxed place to enjoy tortoise watching compared to either the Research Centre or Highlands on Santa Cruz. I would say I even enjoyed the tortoise time here more than I did at Galapaguera on San Cristobal Island.
‘Little’ Giant Tortoises Eating (Not Big Enough for the Trough Yet)
The real highlight was getting to see, and hold, a giant tortoise egg. It was surprisingly light for it’s size and nearly perfectly round. Of course the one I was shown had long since lost it’s chance to become a living tortoise. The researchers at the breeding center take great care in carefully documenting their work here. Even the egg had numbers and markings on it so they knew which tortoise it came from, when it was laid and what other tortoises were hatched from that clutch of eggs.
A Galapagos Giant Tortoise Egg at the Breeding Center on Isabela Island
Now the hatching and incubation areas were largely off-limits here when I visited, but seeing how many tortoises they had already successfully bred and raised and released into the wild was a rewarding experience. If you’re a big fan of tortoises, then I highly recommend spending time on Isabela Island for some private tortoise time.
There is one animal I came across in Africa that gave me nightmares.
No, it wasn’t a lion, hippo, cobra or scorpion. I came across all of those and didn’t flinch. This was more of a wolf in sheep clothing type of scary creature, except it was a Dassie in Devil fur.
The cutely named Dassie has many aliases, probably because of it’s secret scariness. Rock Rabbit and Rock Rat are a couple of alternative names. You get the idea – they are furry things that mostly hang out around rocky outcrops.
In reality their official name is a Hyrax and along with Sea Cows (real name Dugongs) they’re the closest relatives on Earth to Elephants.
The ones I came across in Tanzania are Bush Hyrax, or Yellow-spotted Rock Hyrax. Want to see one of these beasts? Are you sure? Ok, you’ve been warned…
A Yellow-spotted Rock Hyrax in the Serengeti
Ya, ok. They even look cute. But it is just a disguise. Watch these evil creatures long enough and you’ll see another side to them.
When a mature Hyrax gets excited, a bump on their back starts to form…called a dorsal gland. This gland opens up, pushing fur to the sides, as if giving birth to some mutant life form. They move around oddly too, it’s all so strange that you expect their eyes to start glowing red and shoot laser beams at you. Well, at least that’s what happened in my nightmares.
Supposedly they only secrete some weird liquid or something, no actual aliens and it’s only done when they’re wanting to mate or are feeling threatened.
A 'cute' Dassie or Yellow-spotted Rock Hyrax, getting ready to birth some aliens
Still, if you saw one of these things open up a crazy looking gland on it’s back you’d freak out too. I’ve saved you the horror of seeing the scariest photos…you can always use your friend Google if you dare.
On a safari side trip to donate some mosquito nets to a local village outside of South Luangwa National Park in Zambia, we came across something that was unexpected.
Lined up in rows and piles beside the road, and guarded by a small group of soldiers, were Hippo skulls, bones and tusks.
Skulls and bones from Culled Hippos near South Luangwa National Park
Going on safari in Africa, you envision wild mammals running around, playing out the eternal battle of predator and prey.
That is the case for the most part, but even in Africa fragmented habitats create situations where populations of certain species can get out of control. One such place is South Luangwa National Park in Zambia.
Piles of Hippopotamus bones near South Luangwa National Park
Overall, I found this park more impressive for wildlife viewing than the Serengeti. There were Hippos everywhere! As well as plenty of Giraffes, Elephants, Zebras, Warthogs and other animals.
Apparently the Hippopotamus population in South Luangwa is extremely healthy, to the point that authorities regulate a controlled cull of the animals to keep their populations in check.
Hundreds of Hippos are killed during these culls. When we arrived, these dried out skulls had obviously been around for some time, but it is hard to imagine what kind of operation it takes to cull these wild and dangerous animals.
Hippo Ivory and Skulls outside South Luangwa National Park in Zambia
We were told that the hippo meat is given to poor villages around the park and perhaps some butcher shops (although how they refrigerate and keep all that meat clean is a mystery to me). Other items are sold, with funds going to ZAWA (Zambia Wildlife Authority) towards the protection of the country’s parks.
What I didn’t know before seeing these skulls and bones lying around was that Hippo tusks, those big sharp teeth of theirs, are made of ivory.
One of the many South Luangwa Hippos that wasn't culled in Zambia
While Elephant ivory gets all the attention in the media, due to poaching, Hippo ivory is the second most common source of ivory in the world. You can see some Hippo tusks have been set aside in these photos.
While hiking along a trail in Torrey Pines State Reserve I crossed paths with a lady who hikes in the reserve every day.
She was a little surprised to see me there when I told here I was from Canada. Curious as to how I found the reserve, I told her that when I travel I tend to check maps and look for nearby “green” areas. So on my trip to San Diego I added Torrey Pines to my must-visit list after seeing it on google maps.
View of the Pacific Ocean at Torrey Pines State Reserve
That’s one reason why I travel – to see and experience nature different than what I can enjoy at home. I don’t really mind if I miss the newest, trendiest restaurant or bar in the city. Sure, I love trying great food, but I can eat great food in Toronto, I can’t hike amongst Torrey Pine Trees at home though!
It was a sunny San Diego day in January, the temperatures were set to reach 20C. What a great place, which is actually named for the Torrey Pine Tree, which is an endangered species only in this reserve and on some nearby islands. They provided some great contrast to the dry desert ground, especially with the crashing waves of the Pacific in the distance.
A Torrey Pine Tree in Torrey Pines State Reserve
Wanting to get to the beach at Torrey Pines, I took the Broken Hill Trail route on the way down and Beach Trail on the way back, creating a nice 2 mile circuit trail. The trails are largely well groomed and marked, not rugged at all. Unless yo’re jogging the trails it is more about the scenery than the exercise on these trails.
Beach Trail at Torrey Pines State Reserve
Winding through some hilly shrub lands, scattered with the occasional pine tree, it was a popular hike that seemed mostly frequented by locals out for a jog. Despite numerous rattlesnake sign warnings…no wildlife was spotted.
Rattlesnake Warning Sign at Torrey Pines
At the beach, it was a big staircase down to the welcoming Pacific waters. I headed south towards a spot known as flat rock, which was once used as a bathing pool by Native Americans. Most people who head to the beach stop at the seaside cliffs beside flat rock, but if you do a bit of climbing and venture around the cliff wall, an entire beach can be all yours! I spent an hour on this other side, enjoying my own personal beach. I also had to show that I was Canadian by getting wet in the water…nobody else was swimming or even getting their feet wet.
The Beach Access Stairs at Torrey Pines State Reserve
To me, the water wasn’t that cold, it was like any lake back home in early summer. So I waded in almost waist deep to get some photos and walk along the shoreline.
Walking in the Calm Pacific Ocean at Torrey Pines
It was a really enjoyable hike and I could understand why that lady hiked here every day. She said the colour of the ocean changes every day, so her daily hike was always different. I highly recommend taking a trip to Torrey Pines beach if you’re looking for some nearby nature while in San Diego.
