South Plaza

One of the smallest and, depending on the season, most colorful islands. Find sea lion colonies, land and hybrid iguanas and countless birds soaring by the cliffs. It is an unpopulated island.

These islands are interesting formations without a volcano resulting from an uplifting from underwater. Conformed by two islands, one flat and the other inclined, they create very special ecosystem dynamics. North Plaza is visited only with scientific and conservation purposes.
The biggest Land Iguana population that can be visited. There is a big ecosystem formed of Cactus Opuntia that holds a population of Land Iguanas, the smallest ones of the archipelago. The trip around South Plaza place allows the visitor see the whole population and to notice how this animals survived in this and other similar environments when they arrived and established. Rarely a hybrid of Marine and Land Iguana can be found on the trails
The walk begins with an impressive cactus forest surrounded by sea lions, land and marine iguanas; as we reach its highest point 82 ft (25 m) be on the lookout for tropicbirds, Nazca and blue -footed bobbies and swallow-tailed gulls.
In South Plaza there is a large colony of the smaller sized land iguanas. The population is approximately 300 individuals. They feed on all kinds of vegetation, but during the dry season, they survive on the fruits and flowers of Opuntia cacti. Due to their proximity with marine iguanas, this is the only place on Earth where we will find the Galapagos hybrid iguana.

Activities: 2-hour 15 min hike
Highlights: Red island due to its vegetation made up of sesuvium, a largest colony of sea lions, the unique landscape of a cactus forest, hybrid iguanas, Nazca, blue-footed boobies, swallow-tailed gulls and red- billed tropicbirds.

Visitor sites:
Walking about this very interesting island

Walking about this very interesting small island Sout Plaza.

The land iguana species has its origin in a common ancestor with the marine iguana, about 10.5 million years ago. The iguana grows up to a length of 1.5m (5 ft.) and can weight 13kg (25pounds). They are herbivores, feeding mainly on the prickly-pear cactus but eventually would feed on insects and other invertebrates. They reach sexual maturity at around 10 years old and can live up to 60 years.
They lay 2 to 25 eggs, which they burry in sandy areas. These eggs hatch after around 100 days. In some islands, they have interbred with marine iguanas creating a hybrid iguana species. Very little has been discovered from this species but they are known to be almost all infertile and have a very reduced population.
There are two other species of land iguana in the archipelago, the Conolophus pallidus, which is found only on the island of Santa Fe, and the one known as the pink iguana only found in Wolf volcano on Isabella Island.
Same as other reptiles, they need to thermo regulate so they bask in the sun to warm up making a beautiful picture, and usually burry themselves in the night to conserve the heat in the cold season. They are usually found in the trails and around the cactus growing sites. They have developed symbiotic relationship with birds so they can easily be seen with a finch standing on their heads. Since they are very territorial animals, some fights and social dynamics are part of their natural display. There are about 8 thousand land iguanas in the archipelago.
 

• Animal Group:  Reptiles
• Scientific Name: Conolophus subcristatus
• Animal Average Size: 100 - 150 cm
• Animal Average Weight: 11.5 kg

Mockingbirds in most regions of the world are known for having the ability to imitate the singing from other birds and several other kinds of noises. It is believed that this skill was developed in order to have a more successful feeding in other bird territories, and as a reproductive feature for males.
In the Galapagos there are four different subspecies. All of them are related to a single colonization event, but in four different islands. They are very similar to the other locations species physically. They protect the group and even feed newborns of other individuals of the group. They are omnivores and their curiosity has made them some of the most commonly seen bird of the islands.
 

• Animal Group:  Landbirds
• Scientific Name: Mimus parvulus
• Animal Average Size: 25 - 26 cm
• Animal Average Weight: 51 -56 g
   

Racer snakes on Galapagos are constrictors and only mildly venomous. They are known to prey on lava lizards, geckos, insects, iguanas, mice, rats and hatchlings of several bird species. They are not at all aggressive towards humans and could not do much harm if they were to attack after being threatened. Racers tend to be dark brown with stripes or spots.
There is some confusion over the number of species of racer snake found in Galapagos due to poor research. The latest research suggests that there are: the Galapagos racer (Pseudalsophis biserialis) from San Cristobal and Floreana – though it is locally extinct on Floreana and now only found on nearby islets; the Espanola racer (Pseudalsophis hoodensis) from Espanola and adjacent islets; Santa Cruz racer (Pseudalsophis dorsalis) from Santa Cruz, Baltra, Santa Fe and adjacent islets; Fernandina racer (Pseudalsophis occidentalis) from Fernandina, Isabela, and Tortuga; banded racer (Pseudalsophis slevini) from Pinzon; and the striped racer (, ) from Baltra and Santa Cruz.
It is the Fernandina racer which has been observed hunting for marine fish from rock pools and the shallows around Fernandina. The British biologist Dr. Godfrey Merlen was the first scientist to ever see this behaviour happening as he noted up to 15 individual snakes slithering around the lava rock pools around Cape Douglas. This is a unique behaviour of terrestrial snake not observed anywhere else in the world. The racers on Fernandina were also the stars of BBC´s Planet Earth II where they were filmed hunting juvenile marine iguanas.
Racer snakes can be found in Galapagos on most of the major islands, though they are now locally extinct on Floreana.  The snakes are found throughout the year, but unlike many other Galapagos animals they are shy of humans and will hide away making them reasonably tough to spot without looking for them specifically. They are diurnal, most active around dawn and dusk, and often rest around midday.  The native snake population has been decimated by introduced species such as cats, pigs and feral goats which forage for their eggs.
 

• Animal Group: snakes
• Scientific Name (depending from the islands): Pseudalsophis biserialis, Pseudalsophis hoodensis, Pseudalsophis dorsalis, Pseudalsophis occidentalis, Pseudalsophis slevini, Pseudalsophis steindachneri
• Animal Average Size: 80 cm bis 1,20 m
• Animal Average Weight: 8 – 10 kg
   

Seen from the side, this animal is perfectly flat, with pectoral fins that extend to the head. The eyes are located at the sides of its head and with breathing cavities near. The diameter on average is from about 30 cm to less than 1 m. Stingrays are close relatives to sharks, with the common factor that both are cartilaginous fish that swim in warm waters of tropical oceans.
They will have one baby per year, and when the baby is born it will have to fend for itself. The females keep the egg and the juvenile in their uterus (ovoviviparous) from 2 to 4 months until the youngster is big enough to be born. No parental care is given to the newborn, it must be ready to feed and protect itself. Cartilaginous fish tend to mature at a slow rate, some studies say that they enter maturity when they are 20 to 30 years old.
Stingrays can spend most of their time buried on the seafloor and they have electrical receptors in their skin to help them read electrical charges in the ocean when looking for food and for orientation. Their favorite food is worms, fish, mollusks, crabs, and shrimp that they get by scooping through the ocean sand.
There are also other species in the ray family that can be spotted in the Galapagos: manta rays (the biggest of all, measuring about 4 m across its fins), golden rays, and spotted eagle rays.
 
 

• Animal Group: Marin Life 
• Scientific Name: Dasyatidae
• Animal Average Size: 30 cm - 2 m
• Animal Average Weight: 7,6 kg

The red-billed tropicbird is widely spread around the eastern pacific and the Caribbean and Indian oceans. In the Galapagos, they are found all around as they choose cliffs and rocky walls to nest.
They feed by plunge-diving mainly on squid and small fish, but they are poor swimmers. When sitting in the water after a catch, the tail feathers are locked in an upright position and this is usual to see.
Their courtship ritual is performed in the air by aerial acrobatics. Female and males are alike, but the male has a longer tail. Breeding happens all along the year and they lay one single egg.

Animal Group: Seabirds
Scientific Name: Phaethon aethereus
Animal Average Size: 90 - 105 cm
Animal Average Weight: 42 g
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Places where you may see Red-Billed Tropicbirds  in Galapagos: Santa Cruz, Genovesa, South Plaza, Española

The swallow-tailed gull is endemic to Galapagos. They prefer areas with warmer water in the eastern islands. When they are not breeding, they travel long distances and feed out of the sea as far as south Peru and Chile.
They feed mainly on squid and fish found in the surface on nocturnal shifts.  Nocturnal fishing is unusual among gulls.
Their nests are located on the rocks, bare lava and cliff areas in the shoreline of most islands. Females lay 1 egg that hatches 35 days later. Chicks spend about 3 months with their parents before they are independent.
They make several vocalizations, most of which are to communicate with others in the colony. They can warn others individuals when intruders are near the nesting sites and by several aggressive postures towards intruders.

Animal Group:  Seabirds
Scientific Name: Creagrus furcatus
Animal Average Size: 51 - 57 cm 
Animal Average Weight: 0.61 - 0.78 kg 

Places where you may see Sunfishes in Galapagos: Genovesa, South Plaza, Española