Thursday, during our scheduled walk, was not an exception. This particularity might be one of the reasons why walking around Fernandina is so exciting: you have to keep an eye open for what could be right in front of you. In reality, snakes are not commonly seen in the Galapagos Islands, and even when present, their spectacular camouflage keeps them out of sight. Fernandina offers surprises on every square centimeter, from beautiful landscapes to special Galapagos fauna and flora particular to this island. Many guests plan their trip specifically to visit Fernandina Island, where we disembark on the second day of our Western Islands Itinerary. One of this snake’s most rare characteristics is that, unlike others of its species, it has learned to hunt and eat fish in order to survive. Visitors will be interested in knowing this snake is not aggressive towards humans and even if threatened, would not do much harm. They usually prey on lava lizards, insects, iguanas, rats, mice, and several bird hatchlings. Other snake species inhabit the islands, and like Galapagos racers, they are constrictors and mildly venomous. The Galapagos racer snake is threatened by another species that eats snakes’ eggs At one point the baby iguana almost gets caught and hope seems futile, but finally, it manages to escape from what is literally a beach covered in snakes. They bring us all the way to the center of planet Earth, to the Galapagos Islands, (You can locate this Western island on one of these Galapagos maps!) The episode shows a baby iguana running through a rocky beach, when suddenly racer snakes start coming out from behind every rock to try and catch it. This amazing production takes viewers to the archipelago’s newest island, Fernandina. As a photographer, I cannot even begin to imagine how much preparation and patience the cameramen, crew, and production team need in order to create such a detailed, artsy, and expensive series.

Season 1 was amazing because of the places the program visited and the outstanding shots they got on wildlife. The return of this program about nature and wildlife is an exciting piece of news for its many fans. Last month, the BBC announced the upcoming production of the long-awaited second season of Planet Earth. Galapagos racer snakes have taken center stage, co-starring alongside David Attenborough.

Galapagos island racer snake