Have you ever seen a sea lion resting under a street bench?

The picture accompanying this post was taken on a recent trip to the Galapagos Islands, and has elements of what is probably one of the most common pictures taken by a visitor to the Galapagos.

Without taking away from the awesomeness of sea lions, in the Galapagos I would liken them to the commonness of crows in North America. This little guy is doing what sea lions possibly do best; laze around. At first this picture represented something unique, have you ever seen a sea lion resting under a street bench? But after spending over a week in the archipelago you come to realize that sea lions are pretty agile creatures, especially when it comes to finding a sleeping spot.

They’re not too picky, actually scratch that, they aren’t (in my opinion) picky enough with their selection of a resting spots. They will generally settle for just about anything; weird angled rocks, small moored boats, or a jetty with their bodies half in half out the water. But this general silliness about them is what makes these creatures so lovable. They’re the fun loving, sleep orientated, playful characters of the Galapagos, and I bet even if you tried you wouldn’t be able to find a person who has been fortunate enough to visit the Galapagos Islands who doesn’t have a story about a Galapagos sea lion.

Of course there’s more to the Galapagos then sea lions. If you’re a naturalist, and nature lover look into visiting the Galapagos Islands.

DID YOU KNOW?

No Need to Drink: Sea lions have no need to drink; they obtain all the water they need from their food.
Starved for a Fight: During the mating season, male sea lions won’t eat, but instead choose to focus entirely on protecting their territory and females.
Six Sea Lion Species: There are six living species of sea lion: the Steller sea lion, California sea lion, Galapagos sea lion, South American sea lion, Australian sea lion and New Zealand sea lion. The Japanese sea lion went extinct in the 1950’s.