Galapagos Denizens

We took two Zodiac trips today to meet some more of the inhabitants of these wondrous islands. 

This morning, we met our first Galapagos Penguins -- they are so cute!  About the size of a duck, they are surprisingly tiny.  I really wanted to sneak one into my suitcase to bring home!  We also saw a handsome little Lava Heron pictured in this collage.  Just as we were making our way back to the ship, there was a great splash and thrashing in the water very close to the rocky shore --  it was an enormous Shark!!!!!  Glad we weren't snorkeling there.

This afternoon we headed into some Mangrove swamps to see elegant Manta Rays and quite a few sea turtles as well as some nesting penguins.  It was amazingly peaceful there -- apparently used by the rays and turtles as well as fish and birds as a quiet, safe resting place.

Extra shows the beautiful evening sky last night.