Floreana Island
Today we started with a pre-breakfast outing at Post Office Bay, which is home to what is considered one of the oldest mail systems in South America. The first time this particular barrel was mentioned was by Captain James Colnett in 1793, when the tragic whaling era in the Pacific Ocean began. The whaling vessels, as the pirates and buccaneers before them, would use the Galapagos Archipelago as a strategic base, and to replenish their supplies, particularly of fresh meat in the form of our unique giant tortoises. The whalers would be away from home for many years, and the homesick men would write home and leave post in the barrel, which would later be picked up and delivered by home-going vessels. The tradition is ongoing, as many of us left cards in the barrel, and picked up some mail to be hand delivered on our return. There are a couple of big differences though, as we are here to enjoy the beauty of the place rather than desecrate it, and whilst searching for cetaceans too, it is purely to enjoy the majesty of these unbelievable animals. We are also not homesick, as far too busy enjoying the magic of Galapagos!
Our visit to this historic bay was followed by a Zodiac ride around an offshore islet of Floreana named “La Loberia”. This translates literally as “the sea lion colony”, which is fitting as here one may find a large, undisturbed colony of the Galapagos sea lion, Zalophus wollebackii. As we observed the furry sea mammals with delight, one of us observed something unusual close to a salt bush: an albino sea lion pup a few months old, playing with a contemporary of normal pigmentation. We have actually come across this strange looking animal at several occasions over the last few months, and have been observing its development with great interest: how great to see it doing so well!
Albinism in animals is a heritable condition observed as the inability to form melanin (a dark colored pigment) in the hair, skin, or vascular coat of the eyes. It is caused by a deficiency in the enzyme tyrosinase, and is usually inherited as an autosomal recessive. It is certainly the only one we have observed in the islands in many years, and wish our unusual little friend the best of luck.
Today we started with a pre-breakfast outing at Post Office Bay, which is home to what is considered one of the oldest mail systems in South America. The first time this particular barrel was mentioned was by Captain James Colnett in 1793, when the tragic whaling era in the Pacific Ocean began. The whaling vessels, as the pirates and buccaneers before them, would use the Galapagos Archipelago as a strategic base, and to replenish their supplies, particularly of fresh meat in the form of our unique giant tortoises. The whalers would be away from home for many years, and the homesick men would write home and leave post in the barrel, which would later be picked up and delivered by home-going vessels. The tradition is ongoing, as many of us left cards in the barrel, and picked up some mail to be hand delivered on our return. There are a couple of big differences though, as we are here to enjoy the beauty of the place rather than desecrate it, and whilst searching for cetaceans too, it is purely to enjoy the majesty of these unbelievable animals. We are also not homesick, as far too busy enjoying the magic of Galapagos!
Our visit to this historic bay was followed by a Zodiac ride around an offshore islet of Floreana named “La Loberia”. This translates literally as “the sea lion colony”, which is fitting as here one may find a large, undisturbed colony of the Galapagos sea lion, Zalophus wollebackii. As we observed the furry sea mammals with delight, one of us observed something unusual close to a salt bush: an albino sea lion pup a few months old, playing with a contemporary of normal pigmentation. We have actually come across this strange looking animal at several occasions over the last few months, and have been observing its development with great interest: how great to see it doing so well!
Albinism in animals is a heritable condition observed as the inability to form melanin (a dark colored pigment) in the hair, skin, or vascular coat of the eyes. It is caused by a deficiency in the enzyme tyrosinase, and is usually inherited as an autosomal recessive. It is certainly the only one we have observed in the islands in many years, and wish our unusual little friend the best of luck.
