Flora and Fauna
Ecuador flora and fauna
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Monkey on my head #AtoZChallenge
“The responses of the baby monkey are very similar to those of a human baby.” — Harry Harlow A monkey climbed all over a guy in the courtyard. A woman fed it pieces of banana while she touched it here and there. The monkey ran over to some dogs, climbed all over them, raced back to the guy. It was on top of his head in a no time. Bite of banana. To the dogs. To the man’s head. Rinse, repeat. So much energy! My husband and I had stopped for lunch at a hotel near Cojimies. We were receiving quite a show with our meal! After lunch, we asked the…
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Iguanas at our bedroom window #AtoZChallenge
We were living just north of Olon, Ecuador. Large beautiful trees hung over our two story home. The porch thatch roof was just outside our bedroom window. Iguanas ran around in the trees. Iguana in a tree Iguanas jumped from the trees to the roof fairly regularly. Once there, the glass windows interested them. They banged on the glass. It sounded like they were knocking on our bedroom window. I would sneak to the window when they knocked, anticipating a great photo. As soon as they heard me, they sprinted away. I never did get a decent picture of them. I got a lot of the thatch roof. An iguana…
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Humpback Whales #AtoZChallenge
June through September is Humpback Whale season in Puerto Lopez, Ecuador. They migrate from Antarctica, 16,000 kilometers (almost 10,000 miles) away. While in the warm equatorial waters, the whales fast, focused on mating and birthing. Whales are seen breaching in the distance from shore. For a closer view, take a whale watching boat from Puerto Lopez. A whale might breach near your boat. Breaching Humpback Whale Puerto Lopez, Ecuador Most likely, you will see some tail slapping. Tail about to slap the water, creating a big splash Puerto Lopez, Ecuador It is incredible to watch a 16 meter (52 foot) whale swim under your boat. I am completely in awe…
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Boobies – beautiful and bountiful on Ecuador’s coast! Blue-footed boobies, that is #AtoZChallenge
Did you think I was going to talk about some other kind of boobies? I am writing about blue-footed boobies, beautiful birds. Puerto Lopez, Ecuador, is surrounded by Machalilla National Park, which includes tropical forests, cloud forests, beaches, ocean, and islands. One of the park residents that attracts visitors is the interestingly named blue-footed booby. I have read that you need to travel to the Galapagos to see blue-footed boobies but that is not accurate. I see them on beaches and cliffs around Puerto Lopez. They like to hang out on rocky cliffs above the ocean. Blue-footed boobies on a cliff in Puerto Lopez, Ecuador One way to guarantee seeing…
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Roaming wild in Ecuador
First, I want to mention that Scott and I both started new jobs about a month ago and are very happy with them so we may postpone our move by a few years. Scott is now a full time employee at Bebe Stores headquarters and I am contracting at Facebook headquarters. Now, on to the topic of the day – roaming wild in Ecuador. We saw a lot of animals while there and most roamed wherever they wanted. There were pigs, cows, cats, dogs, and horses hanging out in various places without leashes or fences. They did not seem to have any fear of vehicles and barely moved as we…