Facts About South Plaza Island
- Has most concentrated wildlife sites in the Galapagos.
- Was uniquely made by lava streaming from the bottom of the ocean.
- While following the trail you will go through a forest of prickly pear cacti, also called Opuntia, and their yellow flowers. Opuntia is a genus in the cactus family, Cactaceae, and is named for the Ancient Greek city of Opus, where, according to Theophrastus, an edible plant grew and could be propagated by rooting its leaves.
- Land Iguanas will populate the area while feasting on the ample food. A cactus finch will sometimes ride on the iguanas back, who then stretches up on all four legs, thereby allowing the finch access to clean.
- The territory and breeding season of the Galapagos land iguana overlap only on South Plaza Island with the marine iguana, thereby breeding a unique population of hybrid iguanas.
- There are a variety of unique and picturesque landscapes on South Plaza Island. Depending on the season, the Sesuvium ground vegetation changes its color from green in the rainy season to orange and purple in the dry season
- The sea bluffs house a large number of various kinds of birds, such as the nesting red-billed tropicbirds and the swallow-tail gull.
- After you travel through patches of salt-tolerant areas and bright red-orange carpetweed, you will be near the sea cliffs. Along the cliff are a sea lion colony of single male sea lions and battle-scarred old and young bulls laying in the sun far above the ocean.
