Galapagos Sea Lions and Fur Seals

Since my first time watching sea lions play on Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco when I was a little kid I have been a sucker for sea lions.  I did presentations on them throughout elementary school and every art project from 2nd to 5th grade most likely involved the drawing, painting or sculpting of a sea lion.  So you can imagine how thrilled I was to visit the Galapagos where everywhere you look you see sea lions!  The sea lions have no fear and easily approach you and don’t mind being approached on the beach.  On the boardwalk in San Cristobal you even see them lying on the benches and hanging out on the sidewalks and in the playgrounds.  They are very gentle you just have to stay clear of the bull who can be very protective and aggressive during mating season.  Also you have to remember that they are wild animals and should not be touched (no matter how cute they are)!  The babies will come right up to you, but if you touch them the mothers may reject them later so its important to keep your hands to yourself and just enjoy the adorable little guys with your eyes!  There are two species on the islands- the Galapagos Sea Lion and the Galapagos Fur Seal (which despite the name is actually a sea lion not a seal) and they are both endangered with their largest threat being from climate change that comes with El Nino.  After the pictures are a couple videos I shot of them all around the islands including an adorable compilation of some babies I saw and a funny one of my sister trying to pose with one on the beach.