NARRATOR: We’re setting sail to the Galapagos, home to some of the wildest animals on earth. Get ready.
Here’s Awesome Eight’s Greatest animals of the Galapagos!
Number 8.
Penguins in warm waters?
While most other penguins live near the South Pole,
Galápagos Penguins are the only penguins on earth who
live along the Equator.
And they’ve found creative ways to adapt to their island homes.
It’s always good to hang with your friends.
Number 7.
English naturalist Charles Darwin called Marine Iguanas
“disgusting, clumsy lizards.”
Despite their looks, these reptiles have a unique adaptation:
they’re the only iguanas that can swim and forage underwater!
Don’t worry about their frightening appearance.
They pretty much only eat algae.
Number 6.
Galápagos Tortoises live longer than any other
animal with a backbone!
They can live up to 152 years old!
Even in old age, these tortoises still got it!
And don’t worry about chasing them around the island.
Galapagos Tortoises rest up to 16 hours a day.
Number 5.
Like the rest of us on the beach,
Galápagos Sea Lions love swimming and sunbathing.
They might take a dip to catch fish,
but these beach bums prefer to hang close to shore.
Catch some rays, big fella!
Number 4.
The Whale Shark is big. Real big.
It’s the largest shark on the planet!
They can weigh up to 40 tons!
They might look scary, but these sharks only eat teeny
tiny critters like krill and plankton.
You can even swim with them!
Number 3.
Blue-Footed Boobies get their name from,
you guessed it, their blue feet.
In fact, blue feet is a point of pride for these birds.
Males with very blue feet are more likely to mate.
But why blue?
The feet naturally turn blue as the booby eats more fish.
So the better they eat, the bluer the feet!
Number 2.
Sally Lightfoot Crabs are coastal scavengers,
eating anything they find on the coastline.
They’re a big help to the Galapagos ecosystem as they
help keep the shore clean.
Thanks, neighbor!
The mama crab carries eggs on her stomach until they hatch underwater.
Number 1.
The Galapagos also has the amazing Hammerhead Shark.
These sharks can swim with hundreds of other sharks
in a giant school.
I guess you could call them classmates.
Hammerhead Sharks are one of the few animals,
who can get a tan!
That’s a good color on you.
That wraps our eight uncanny animals of the Galapagos.
For other fun animal facts, watch more Awesome Eight.
Captioned by Cotter Captioning Services.
