In my last message to you I talked a little bit about Machu Picchu. Now I want to tell you about the other special place I visited. They are called the Galapagos Islands and they are found off the coast of Ecuador.
The Galapagos Islands are a group of many small islands. The fancy word for a group of small islands is an archipelago. On this trip I traveled with my parents and 8 other travelers from all around the world. We sailed on a boat. Here is a picture of the sailboat.
The Galapagos Islands were formed by volcanos in the ocean. When the volcanos erupt, the water cools the lava and forms land. That is the same way that the islands of Hawaii formed. I have never been to Hawaii.
What makes the Galapagos Islands so special is the animal life on the islands. We saw all kinds of amazing animals. In another place on my blog I will put some more pictures of all the animals. The animals on Galapagos are extremely special because a lot of them do not live anywhere else in the whole world. Some of the animals only live on one of the islands.
In 1835 an English scientist named Charles Darwin came to the Galapagos Islands to study the animals. His studies changed the way that scientists think about animals, plants, and all kinds of life. Everything we know about life on our entire planet was changed by what Darwin learned about animals on the Galapagos Islands.
So, are you ready to see a few of the animals?
Here is a picture of a Giant Tortoise. A giant tortoise can weigh around 800 pounds. How much would all of the students in your class weigh if you all stood together on a scale?
Another one of the big animals on the island is the Sea Lion. On land, sea lions walk very funny but they swim very well. We got to swim with them and sometimes they played with us in the water. On the boat there was a "memory book" and one ten year-old girl wrote that sea lions reminded her of her dog.
And, here is a baby sea lion sleeping...
Another animal that is well-known in the Galapagos are Iguanas. There are two types: Marine Iguanas and Land Iguanas. I liked the land iguanas better because they were bigger. Here are some pictures of land iguanas.
There were lots more animals. We also saw sharks, sea turtles, lots of different types of fish, rays, penguins, pelicans, lava lizards, albatrosses, the blue-footed booby, the Nasca booby, lava gulls, mockingbirds, frigate birds, and flamingos. I have pictures of a lot of these animals, but not all of them.
I promise to write again soon and answer some of the questions you asked. I will write to you about what people do for fun in Ecuador, about what the stores are like, about what the food, weather, and houses are like.
I will write again soon!
