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Saturday, September 11, 2010

Galapagos Critters Doing Double Duty

Below, this sanderling casts a delicate bird-shaped shadow as it dines on a piece of cactus.

Neither the sea lion nor the Galapagos gulls pay any attention to the sinister shadow cast by the marine iguana and the rock on which it sits.

A young sea lion watches a Sally Lightfoot crab hiding in the shadow of an overhanging rock.

Camouflaged in the shadows of opuntia (prickly pear) cactus, are a Galapagos gull (left) and a juvenile red-footed booby.

This Galapagos gull chooses not to lie in the shade, but in the sunshine, where he casts his own shadow.

Today I have
birds, reptiles, mammals and crustaceans for both
and

Photos by Kay Davies and Richard Schear

29 comments:

Chubskulit Rose said...

I love the sea lion shot!

Hanover Park shadows.

Gattina said...

Lovely sea critters !

Marilyn & Jeff said...

What wonderful photos, taken in a world so unknown to me! I had to enlarge the photo to see the birds in with the cacti. Loved viewing these photos.

Serendipity said...

I love the iguana! Is this really in the Galapagos?? I would love to go there one day. Thanks for stopping by from SITS :-)

Kay L. Davies said...

Yes, Serendipity, it is really in the Galapagos Islands, about 600 miles off the left shoulder of South America. It was my husband's dream vacation and made him suddenly love travel.
The marine iguana is probably the least spectacular of all iguanas, except in December when many of them turn red and green (I'm not kidding) in time for Christmas. The great thing about them, though, is they swim in the ocean and eat seaweed.
K

Paula Scott Molokai Girl Studio said...

I really had to look for those birds, but how cool to 'catch' them both in the same shot! Wow, how amazing too, that you got to go to Galapagos.
And, I'm wondering if the seal is waiting for the sally crab to get closer in order to call it 'dinner'!

Dimple said...

This is very interesting. I have never been to the Galapagos Islands, thank you for sharing some of the creatures who live there. The gull and the booby among the cacti required enlargement for a closer look!

Kay L. Davies said...

It is a very young sea lion, Paula, so I think it is just curious. Seals and sea lions have been known to eat crabs alright, but the Galapagos sea lions mostly eat sardines, and the pups nurse until they are about 11 months old.
K

Kay L. Davies said...

The animals of the Galapagos are amazing, Dimple, because they have no fear of humans. Most likely the gull and the booby were just seeking shade under the cacti, but they were certainly effectively camouflaged. I had to enlarge the thumbnail picture in my photo program to see why this clump of dull-looking vegetation rated being photographed.

Kay said...

These are wonderful seaside shots, Kay. I hope you had a wonderful day there. Enjoy a happy weekend.

ruthi said...

wow... Galapagos? Awesome! I heard a lot about Galapagos and its wonderful residents. You are lucky to be able to visit them and see those habitats. What a wonderful series of photos you got here. thanks for sharing.

EG CameraGirl said...

I enjoyed both your critters and your shadows.

Manz said...

Nice multitasking ;)
They really all do have a shadow story - as proven in the post. It's a fun format!

Anonymous said...

Wonderful photos, and cute Galapagos!

Verna Luga said...

the crab and the sea lion? interesting...

Camera Critters here

Beverley Baird said...

What an awesome trip that must have been! The shots of the animals (and their shadows) are amazing!

SandyCarlson said...

Your photos are very beautiful.

Patti said...

Cool critters and shadows. My favorite photo is the closeup of the Galapagos gull. Not that you asked what my favorite is!

Thanks for visiting my blog ~ happy weekend!

Hey Harriet said...

A lovely selection of photos! Thanks so much for joining in Shadow Shot Sunday :)

Anonymous said...

Wonderful. I'd love to visit the Galapagos one day.

Anonymous said...

I am breathless just at the thought of getting to the Galapagos! So glad you posted these shots...I like the bird shadows very much. Isn't it grand we can travel vicariously through each other...:)

ShoppaMomma said...

Nice critters and lovely photos!

jabblog said...

Lovely photos! The camouflage photo is particularly impressive.

Rajesh said...

Wonderful collection shots. Love the variety.

Mara said...

I really had to look twice (and sometimes three times) to find the critters you were talking about. They do love their camouflage!

Anyway, I tagged you. Just so you know.

cat said...

Great shots of all the fantastic critters.

Anonymous said...

beautiful shots: you are so lucky to be able to see these creatures in person :-)

ksdoolittle said...

All of your pictures are delightful, but I am quite smitten with the Galapagus Gull. Such a pretty little thing. ~karen

Anonymous said...

What a nice gull!! Excellent pictures! I wanna a lot do an Ecuador Galapagos travel with my family and have a great time!!