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Iguana North Seymour 2091
Iguana North Seymour 2091

Land Iguana on North Seymour, 2/24/13 - trying to eat a succulant Cactus Pad.

This iguana was going extinct on its native island in the Galapagos because of the inadvertant introduction of land mammals such as rats who treatened their survival by eating their eggs.

William Randolph Hearst, in the 1930s, transported these animals to North Seymour so they could reproduce in an environment free of rats. That they did, but they had to adapt to a different food supply.

The cactus is a great source, not only of nourishment, but also water. However, climbing to grab a pad seems like a struggle for the iguana.

It took this one several minutes to maneuver his weight up the bush and finally secure a pad.

This picture was taken as part of a National Geographic Galapagos photo expedition 2-23-13 to 3-2-13. Special thanks to Tim Laman for his outstanding coaching and suggestions. In fact, he was standing rjust to my left and photographing the same iguana with his Canon. To find out what happened around one second later check out his picture at www.timlaman.com/wildlife-diaries/galapagos-photo-expedit....

I cannot think of a better way to visit the Galapago Islands than with National Geographic and Linblad - they are simply the best. The Galapagos is an incredible opportunity to learn about natural science, and regardless of one's discipline or profession, there is much to be gained by visiting these islands, and by reading Charles Darwin's An Origin of Species at the same time.

Here is another great reference book: Kricher, John (2006), Galapagos: A Natural History, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, pp. 9,51,91,200, ISBN 978-0-691-12633-3

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Taken on: February 24, 2013
Sets appears in:   • Galapagos Selected Images   
Groups appears in:   • !*Flickr Award Group*! (GIVE 5 AWARDS)    • NATURE'S PRIME (P1/A4)    more » • Nature, ...as such and abstract    « less
Camera: Nikon D3S, f/4.0, 1/5000 sec, 300mm, ISO 200 (more info) (hide info)
Camera: Nikon D3S
Lens: 300.0 mm f/2.8
Aperture: f/4.0
Exposure Time: 1/5000 sec
Focal Length: 300mm
ISO: 200
Exposure Bias: -7/3 EV
Flash: No Flash
Exposure Program: Aperture-priority AE
Exposure Mode: Auto
Metering Mode: Spot
White Balance: Auto
Contrast: High
Sharpness: Hard
Color Space: Uncalibrated
Software: Adobe Photoshop CS5.1 Macintosh
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Iguana North Seymour 2091

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