Isla Santa Catalina
What defines endemism? What does the word actually refer to? The proper definition is much too detailed and dry to deal with here. It is basically a discussion of plants and animals that live in an isolated and limited place. By their very nature, any organism that spends geologic time in isolation will become different than what “we” humans expect from animals and plants. Today we were witness to the affects of that strange constricting system known as island biogeography. Santa Catalina Island is a precious island among the staff, crew, officers and founding personnel of the Lindblad group. This island gets a hold of you in ways that have you think about details from a visit weeks later with no real reason for the memory. The sightings that will turn into those memories are many: the giant barrel cactus, rattleless rattlesnake, (a moniker, difficulty challenged in the animal kingdom) and lizards of many shapes and sizes. They all left us with a deep impression of the fantastic nature of this island.
The afternoon was at sea in the Canal de San Jose between Isla San Jose and the peninsula of Baja. This waterway gave us the gift of pilot whales, a close relative of the orca and other large dolphins species.
Our late afternoon was enjoyed at Isla San Francisco with swimming, snorkeling, and a wonderful dinner ashore followed by a campfire.
What defines endemism? What does the word actually refer to? The proper definition is much too detailed and dry to deal with here. It is basically a discussion of plants and animals that live in an isolated and limited place. By their very nature, any organism that spends geologic time in isolation will become different than what “we” humans expect from animals and plants. Today we were witness to the affects of that strange constricting system known as island biogeography. Santa Catalina Island is a precious island among the staff, crew, officers and founding personnel of the Lindblad group. This island gets a hold of you in ways that have you think about details from a visit weeks later with no real reason for the memory. The sightings that will turn into those memories are many: the giant barrel cactus, rattleless rattlesnake, (a moniker, difficulty challenged in the animal kingdom) and lizards of many shapes and sizes. They all left us with a deep impression of the fantastic nature of this island.
The afternoon was at sea in the Canal de San Jose between Isla San Jose and the peninsula of Baja. This waterway gave us the gift of pilot whales, a close relative of the orca and other large dolphins species.
Our late afternoon was enjoyed at Isla San Francisco with swimming, snorkeling, and a wonderful dinner ashore followed by a campfire.
