PLAZA SUR SOUTH PLAZA Day 7 Afternoon March 13th

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South Plaza is a neat little island located close to the eastern coast of Santa Cruz. Its main attraction is a colony of Galápagos land iguanas, but the setting is also a highlight – giant prickly pear cactus, the reddish sesuvium plant, a mat-like ground cover, and a large nesting colony of Swallow-tailed Gulls make this small mall island an excellent stop.
Marine iguanas and Galápagos sea lions are also around.

Wiki

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Arriving with the Zodiac on South Plaza Island and Greeted by a Sea Lion
Santa Cruz Island

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Arriving with the Zodiac on South Plaza Island and Greeted by a Sea Lion
Santa Cruz Island

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Sea Lion and a Crab
Santa Cruz Island

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Sally Lightfoot Crab
South Plaza
Santa Cruz Island

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White Surface due to Excrement of the Sea Lions
South Plaza
Santa Cruz Island

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Cactus on the Island
South Plaza
Santa Cruz Island

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Land Iguana
South Plaza
Santa Cruz Island

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Land Iguana having a stretch
South Plaza
Santa Cruz Island

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Land Iguana with open mouth
South Plaza
Santa Cruz Island

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Hybrid Iguana
1 of the three remaining in the world
South Plaza
Santa Cruz Island

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Hybrid Iguana
1 of the three remaining in the world
South Plaza
Santa Cruz Island

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Hybrid Iguana
1 of the three remaining in the world
South Plaza
Santa Cruz Island

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Hybrid Iguana
1 of the three remaining in the world
South Plaza
Santa Cruz Island

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Swallow Tail Gull
The only sea bird night feeder on the Galapagos
South Plaza
Santa Cruz Island

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Swallow Tail Gull
The only sea bird night feeder on the Galapagos
South Plaza
Santa Cruz Island

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Swallow Tail Gull
The only sea bird night feeder on the Galapagos
South Plaza
Santa Cruz Island

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Sesuvium Field
South Plaza
Santa Cruz Island

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Sesuvium Field and Cactus Terrain
South Plaza
Santa Cruz Island

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Sesuvium Field and Cactus Terrain
South Plaza
Santa Cruz Island

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Sesuvium Field
South Plaza
Santa Cruz Island

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Cactus Chicks
South Plaza
Santa Cruz Island
Art of the Cactus

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Cactus Chicks
South Plaza
Santa Cruz Island
Art of the Cactus

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Naomi

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Rocky Coast
South Plaza
Santa Cruz Island

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Rocky Coast
South Plaza
Santa Cruz Island

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Young Swallow Tailed Gull  South Plaza
Santa Cruz Island

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Rocky Bottom with Clear Water
South Plaza
Santa Cruz Island

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Rocky Bottom with Clear Water
South Plaza
Santa Cruz Island

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Tips of a Giant Stingray
South Plaza
Santa Cruz Island

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The Breast Bone – A Characteristic feature of All Birds
South Plaza
Santa Cruz Island

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Hooked Beak South Plaza
Santa Cruz Island
Art of Bird Scat

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Hooked Beak of the Frigate South Plaza
Santa Cruz Island
Art of Bird Scat

 

Swallow Tailed Gulls Mating

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Would You Like to MAke a Baby?
South Plaza
Santa Cruz Island

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Approach 
South Plaza
Santa Cruz Island

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The Mount
South Plaza
Santa Cruz Island

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A Kiss
South Plaza
Santa Cruz Island

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Getting Comfortable
South Plaza
Santa Cruz Island

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Finding the Right Position
South Plaza
Santa Cruz Island

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Pleasure
South Plaza
Santa Cruz Island

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Pleasure
South Plaza
Santa Cruz Island

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Sesuvium Fields The ded plants are too bitter for the animals
South Plaza off
Santa Cruz Island

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Female Finch on Sesuvium
South Plaza
Santa Cruz Island

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Land Iguana Feeding on a Fallen cactus
South Plaza
Santa Cruz Island

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Land Iguana Feeding on a Fallen cactus
South Plaza
Santa Cruz Island

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Land Iguana Pointing to the Land and Sea Lion Pointing to the Sea in the Background  To Each his Own
South Plaza
Santa Cruz Island

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Marine Iguanas
South Plaza off
Santa Cruz Island

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Pelican Flying in to Land on the rocks
South Plaza off
Santa Cruz Island

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A Lesson in Mindfulness   “Wait Stop Think Calm Down Enjoy The Sun”
South Plaza off
Santa Cruz Island

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Love of Mother and Calf Sea Lions
South Plaza off
Santa Cruz Island

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Te Clouds Hold the Moon so tenderly!
Night Time and a Full Moon
Santa Cruz Island

 

 

South Plaza (SpanishIsla Plaza Sur) is a small island off the east coast of Santa Cruz in the Galápagos Islands.[1] It has an area of 0.13 km² and a maximum altitude of 23 metres.[2]

South Plaza was formed by lava up streaming from the bottom of the ocean. Despite its small size, it is home to a large number of species and known for its extraordinary flora. The sea bluffs hold large numbers of birds, such as nesting

Furthermore, the territory and breeding season of the Galapagos land iguana overlap only on South Plaza Island with those of the marine iguana, giving rise to a unique population of hybrid iguanas[3].

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Depending on the season, the Sesuvium ground vegetation changes its colour from green in the rainy season to orange and purple in the dry season.[4]

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