Giant Tortoises In A Muddy Pond Inside Alcedo Volcano Crater, Isabela Island, Galapagos Stock Photo

As they have done for eons, the giant tortoises roam around the crater floor inside the live volcano of Alcedo. During the rainy season they gather in ponds that form on the crater floor. These slowly dry out and become quagmires but still provide fresh water and relief from the heat of the day which is extreme inside the volcanic crater. Heat emanates from below the crater floor and combined with the heat of the sun becomes an inferno