Española Island
The most ubiquitous creature of the Galapagos Islands, the lava lizard, shares the view with a great ship in the Galapagos, the Polaris.
Lizards of this archipelago are a wonderful example of adaptive radiation, or in other words, multiplication of species.
The Española lava lizard is one of the seven different kinds found in the Galapagos. Not only is their color without match but so is their “push-up” behavior. This display is usually associated with terrestrial aggression or courtship and may be shown by both sexes. What is distinctive about these displays is that for every different island population the precise pattern of push-ups is unique. And today we witnessed how two females fought for a piece of sand, probably a good nesting ground, since their breeding-nesting season has begun.
Lava lizards are omnivorous predators and feed on grasshoppers, ants, spiders, moths and some plant material. However it seemed that this one lizard was also interested in feeding on something else… maybe a large juicy blue-white ship.
The most ubiquitous creature of the Galapagos Islands, the lava lizard, shares the view with a great ship in the Galapagos, the Polaris.
Lizards of this archipelago are a wonderful example of adaptive radiation, or in other words, multiplication of species.
The Española lava lizard is one of the seven different kinds found in the Galapagos. Not only is their color without match but so is their “push-up” behavior. This display is usually associated with terrestrial aggression or courtship and may be shown by both sexes. What is distinctive about these displays is that for every different island population the precise pattern of push-ups is unique. And today we witnessed how two females fought for a piece of sand, probably a good nesting ground, since their breeding-nesting season has begun.
Lava lizards are omnivorous predators and feed on grasshoppers, ants, spiders, moths and some plant material. However it seemed that this one lizard was also interested in feeding on something else… maybe a large juicy blue-white ship.
