The Galapagos Islands are famous for the diverse plant and animal life found both on land and in the surrounding seas. Conservation programs involving captive breeding and introduction to the wild have been adopted to save the species. The flightless cormorant (Phalacrocorax harrisi) has evolved by losing the ability to fly. Since the reptile is an ectothermic animal, it can only spend a limited amount of time in the relatively cold waters of the Galapagos. The butt of many jokes, the blue-footed booby (Sula nebouxii) is named for its bright blue feet. Despite sometimes being called the giant seahorse, these little creatures are tiny, growing to 4-8 inches in length. I fumble with my GoPro, roll onto my back by accident then flail my arms until I’m facing down. It is one of the most impressive mating displays in the natural world. The iguana can dive nearly 30 feet in the water. These bright red and yellow crabs crawl over the black lava rocks, which makes for great photos. The Galapagos finches or the Darwin’s finches are perhaps the most famous fauna inhabiting the Galapagos Islands. They feed on insects, lizards, snakes, and rodents living on the island. The hawk (Buteo galapagoensis) is an endemic bird species to the islands. We spent an hour with the colony on Santiago Island. After years of hoping and planning, our own adventure was at hand. Once numbering over 250,000, their numbers declined to just under 3,000 in the 1970s. The Galápagos penguin (Spheniscus mendiculus) is endemic to the islands of the Galapagos and is the only species of penguin living north of the equator. They can be as curious about you as you are about them. The Darwin’s finches are known for their unique beaks and specialized functions. We did witness “sky-pointing” where the male points up into the sky to attract females. The mating dance for the Nazca booby (Sula granti) involves the male and the female bobbing their heads beside each other. We witnessed a spectacular display of pelican dive-bombing off Baltra Island. It is also one of the slowest animals in the world. Help us preserve, protect, and restore Galapagos. Sadly, one of the only animals in the Galapagos Islands to be fearful of people. This led to theories on transmutation of animals and eventually the theory of evolution. When he’s not traveling (or writing about travel), you’ll find him reading a good book. They can be found in abundant numbers throughout all of the islands and even while sailing between them (riding the bow waves). The Galapagos Pacific seahorse (Hippocampus ingens) may be one of the smallest animals in the Galapagos Islands. In total, 32 indigenous species of mammals have been recorded in Galapagos in recent times. The bird nests in the humid highland areas of five islands in Galapagos. Irresponsible fishing practices and climate change also threaten the survival of the flightless cormorant. Disturbances created in their natural habitat by humans, a dwindling food supply due to the introduction of invasive species, and persecution by humans has led to a drastic decline in the population of these birds. Many say that these islands are a bird-watchers paradise. The isolated location of the volcanic Galapagos at the intersection of two major ocean currents make it home to some of the world’s most unique wildlife. There are actually seven lava lizard species in the Galapagos. This excludes domesticated species which have become feral (dogs, cats, pigs, goats, donkeys, horses and cattle) and introduced rodents (rats and mice). The bird feeds on octopuses, eels, fish, and other small creatures in the water. The Galapagos hawk is an apex predator with excellent vision. We were here during mating season, but didn’t get the see the blue-footed booby dance. By Oishimaya Sen Nag on September 12 2018 in Environment. We saw Nazca bobbies on almost every island, but they were most populous on Genovesa Island. The Galapagos penguins feed on small schooling fish like mullet, sardines, and also crustaceans. However, that was not our experience. I think both the geology and the zoology cannot fail to be very interesting.”. These birds are endemic to the Galapagos Islands and feed primarily on small fish and crabs. The Galapagos hawk is not completely free of danger. The islands are home to two resident dolphin species: the common dolphin (Delphinus delphis) and the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). They are the smallest of all small-eared seals, with the females only reaching 1.2 meters. It was on this remote archipelago that Charles Darwin first observed differences between various bird species (notably finches). “I am very anxious for the Galapagos Islands. The adults of this species generally have a sooty brownish color. Unlike the abundance of marine iguanas, we only encountered the land iguanas twice, both times on Isabela Island. The Galápagos Islands are home to lots of different types of plants and animals. These animals can be observed bathing in the sunshine on rock groups or sandy shores or gliding along the surf. The flightless cormorant has a highly restricted range on the Galapagos Islands and is found only on the two islands of Fernandina and Isabela. The marine iguana is currently classified as a Vulnerable species by the IUCN. They include animals only found in the Galapagos Islands such as the Flightless Cormorant, Galapagos Flamingo, Galapagos Penguins, Darwin’s Finches, Marine Iguanas, and more. We were in the islands at the time when all the pups were being born. Heres the scoop on endemic Galapagos species. They are also probably the most common Galapagos animal as we found these crabs on nearly every island we visited. They have tufts of feathers that protrude and look like ears when the owl feels threatened or is behaving aggressively. Strict laws were introduced in 1959 by Ecuador to protect the animals. About 80% of the land birds you will see, 97% of the reptiles and land mammals, and more than 30% of the plants are endemic. Several other dolphin species also travel through the islands at various times of the year. There are few places around the world where it’s possible to share such close proximity to birds, reptiles, and sea critters without them turning fearful. She was not disappointed! We found the Galapagos flamingos to be plentiful and we were fortunate to see them several times on the trip, especially on Santa Cruz Island. Natural predators like killer whales and sharks keep the population in check, but population has also taken a hit because of pesticides and fishing. The wingspan ranges from 116 to 140 cm. Marine organisms, such as green sea turtles and corals, probably came on their own, swimming, or as floating larvae. For starters, almost all of the animals you find in - 11 Unique Animals To See In The Galapagos Islands - Travel, Travel Inspiration - Ecuador, Galapagos Islands, South America - Travel, Food and Home Inspiration Blog with door-to-door Travel Planner! Without a doubt, the fauna of the Galapagos Islands is one of the reasons to visit this beautiful place. And they don’t do much else. Though protected by law, the sea lions are still susceptible to certain threats such as the el Niño events and predation by sharks and killer whales. They primarily feed on schools of fish, preying on small species such as anchovies, sardines, and mullet. With their shining, iridescent feathers and red bellies, they’re a sight to behold. Coming to Ecuador, the top item on Laura’s animal list was the Green sea turtle. He has visited all 50 of the United States as well as 70 countries on 5 continents – all in search of the world’s perfect sausage. These small animals are usually found in the colder areas of the Galapagos, mainly on Fernandina Island and Isabela Island, and tend to live in caves or crevices.. The finches include 15 species of passerine birds which were studied by Charles Darwin and helped him derive the ground-breaking theory of natural selection. The distinct features of the birds make for easy identification even for the novice birder, while the savvy will be pleased to spot the rare and treasured species found only in the Galapagos Islands. We saw Galapagos Green Turtles (Chelonia agassizii) at almost every single one of our snorkels, particularly at Punta Vicente Roca on Isabela Island where there were so many turtles you could almost walk across the small cove without getting your feet wet. We saw evidence of land iguana burrows on Baltra, but didn’t actually see them. 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