Galápagos Animals
Galápagos Sea Lion (Zalophus wollebacki)
This photo was shot from the panga (Zodiac boat) during an afternoon tour. The Galápagos Sea Lions are larger than the Galápagos Fur Seals and they prefer rocky beaches. This large male had his harem of females resting on the rock with him.
A mother Galápagos Sea Lion and pup
Our guide told us this pup was probably 2 or 3 days old. Mom and pup ignored our group as we enjoyed seeing them.
It was fun to swim with the Sea Lions during our snorkeling trips, they would swim very close to us!
Galápagos Fur Seal (Arctocephalus galapagoensis)
The Galápagos Islands have only two native land mammals, the Galápagos Fur Seal is one of them, the Galápagos Sea Lion is the other. The Fur Seal is smaller than the Sea Lion, it has a shorter snout, and prefers sandy beaches over rocky ones. This mother and her pup were resting at the start of a trail on Playa Rojo. Our group quickly passed by them so we wouldn't disturb them. The animals on the Galápagos Islands have been protected for decades, they are unafraid of humans. Park rules dictate that visitors stay at least 6 feet away from the animals.
Galápagos Fur Seals are actually sea lions because they have external ear flaps, true seals do not. This guy is very flexible!
Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)
One afternoon as our catamaran was moving from one island to another, someone yelled, "Dolphins"! Everyone ran to the front of the boat to get a closer look, we were delighted when the pod swam toward us, then the dolphins put on an incredible show swimming in front of the boat for 10 minutes or so!
Marine Iguanas (Amblyrhynchus cristatus)
There are 2 types of iguanas in the Galápagos Islands, the marine species (shown here) and the land species. Marine iguanas are the only sea-going lizards, they eat algae that grows on the rocks beneath the water. These lizards are smaller than their terrestrial relatives, they have flattened tails for swimming, and they have tricuspid teeth for eating algae. The iguanas have to warm themselves by laying in the sun after eating in the cold water. Although the Galápagos Islands are on the Equator, the cold Humbolt Current from the Southern Ocean keeps the water quite chilly.
Since Marine Iguanas take in salt water as they are eating algae they must get rid of it when they are on land. Watch closely and you will see this iguana "sneeze" out salt from its nostrils.
Land Iguana (Conolophus subcristatus)
Land Iguanas dig burrows in the sand inland far from the beach. These lizards are larger than their marine relatives. They are more colorful, have rounded tails, and smaller spines on their crest. They eat cactus pads and other plants, along with insects.
Lava Lizard (Microlophus spp.)
Like the Galápagos Finches, the Lava Lizards are different on each island.
Central Galápagos Racer (Alsophis biseralis dorsalis)
It was quite a thrill to see this Galápagos Racer, it was just the first of 7 we saw during our hike on the island. I had seen these snakes on the BBC special about the islands as they chased newly hatched iguanas!
Sally Lightfoot Crabs (Grapsus grapsus)
This was one of he animals I wanted to see when I went to the Galápagos! The mature adults are beautifully colored. They are very common on the rocks.
Ghost Crab (Ocypode gaudichaudii)
I enjoyed seeing these funny crabs as they scurried along the beach. They are larger and a different color from the Ghost Crabs found on beaches in the United States. These crabs burrow in the sand and quickly retreat to their holes when the feel threatened. Their eyes swivel down into sockets when they go into their holes. They make tiny balls of sand as they sift through it trying to get food particles.
Semi-terrestrial Hermit Crab (Coenobita compressus)
I saw this little crab during a hike in the woods on Isla Isabela.
Large Painted Locust (Schistocerca literosa)
This was one of the few insects I saw on the islands. It is very brightly colored, most likely is is distasteful to birds and other predators.
Galápagos Giant Tortoise (Geochelone spp.)
Our first introduction to the Galápagos Giant Tortoise was interesting! This was the first day of our trip, Isla Santa Cruz has a tortoise reserve where we stopped for lunch and to get close to these amazing animals. Like the famous Finches that Charles Darwin studied, the tortoises are different on each island.
Galápagos Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas agassizii)
The Galápagos Islands are important nesting sites for Galápagos Green Sea Turtles. We saw several sites where females had come onto land to lay their eggs. This turtle is a female, as indicated by the short tail, males have much longer and thicker tails. We enjoyed swimming with the turtles during snorkeling outings. The turtles would come to the reefs to be cleaned by certain fish.
Galápagos Green Sea Turtle tracks
The female turtle had come up to the dune at high tide overnight to lay her eggs and then returned to the ocean at low tide.
King Angelfish (Holacnthus passer)
These fish were so beautiful!
Hieroglyphic Hawkfish (Cirrhitus rivulatus)
Snorkeling off some of the islands was like swimming in an aquarium, so many beautiful fish!
