Española is one of those islands where, on any given visit, you may see just about every animal found in this archipelago. Hence, after a visit to Española one has a very good idea of what the Galapagos are all about. Somehow though, Española leaves you eager to continue exploring and has you looking forward to the days to come. We could not have had a better introduction today to this magical realm of nature.

As soon as we disembarked this morning we found the most photographed animal in these islands. If you have been here already, you will have guessed which species this is already: the sea lion. If you have not been here yet, then prepare yourself for a most playful and charming creature. As sea lions range through the archipelago, this is one of the few animals we can almost guarantee at every visitor site.

This morning was not the only time we admired sea lions today. In the afternoon we had close encounters with them on the beautiful coralline beach called Gardner. Here we strolled along a mile-long stretch of fine white sand, which is a favorite spot for our guests as well as for the sea lions. On beaches like these, sea lions rest after their long day out fishing. Scientists believe that for every 60 minutes they spend fishing, these pinnipeds need 45 minutes on land to recover.

Pinnipeds, the order in which walruses, seals and sea lions are found, are specially adapted to the marine environment. These marine mammals can dive to great depths and can spend long periods of time diving. The northern elephant seal for instance, can dive to a depth of 1,250 meters and remain submerged for up to 62 minutes!

There are various physical mechanisms involved in this remarkable achievement. Among them is a process called bradycardia, a slowing down of the heartbeat to as little as one-tenth of its normal rate. During a dive, blood is channeled to vital organs like the brain and the heart. Pinniped muscles contain large amounts of a special oxygen-storing compound called myoglobin (which is related to hemoglobin), which compensates for the long periods of time that muscles are deprived of their normal supply of oxygen.

These are only a few of the deep-diving adaptations that one finds in marine mammals and they certainly are extraordinary!

Today I decided to take a close-up photo of the sea lion's vibrissae (whiskers). These structures are of extreme importance for fishing. The vibrissae contain many sensitive fibers; a single whisker contains ten times the number of nerves found in the vibrissae of a land mammal! Sea lions use their whiskers to detect the vibrations made by prey in the water; hence the whiskers greatly enhance their ability to fish. Isn't this amazing?