Galapagos Animals & Wildlife
Visitors to the Galápagos do not come for the pristine beaches, gourmet
food, or lavish accommodations: they come to see an active, ample, and
cage-less zoo. People visiting the Galápagos have the special opportunity to
observe up-close the unique and often unusual features and behavior of
species endemic to the archipelago, or found nowhere else on earth.
•Reptiles—not mammals—dominate the animal scene in the Galápagos, due to
their ability to cross long distances—like the Ecuadorian mainland to the
archipelago—without food or water. There are 22 species of Galápagos
reptiles, 20 of which are endemic to the archipelago. Large mammals, in
turn, are either non-existent or marine-dependent, the most prevalent (and
entertaining) examples of which are the endemic sea lions.
• The Galápagos Giant Tortoise is most well-known for its immense size,
weighing up to 250 kg, and incredible life span of at least 150 years. The
most famous Galápagos giant tortoise is Lonesome George, the last of the
Pinto island subspecies and a charismatic representative of the plight of
the tortoises due to human activity and introduced predators.
• The only marine turtle to breed in the Galápagos is the Green Sea Turtle ,
which can lay as many as 500 eggs in large, “body-pit” nests throughout the
nesting season. Only about one percent of the delectable hatchlings will
survive predation by crabs, birds, sharks, or introduced cats, dogs, or
donkeys.
• There are seven endemic species of Lava Lizard in the Galápagos, easily
recognizable by their tiny size and interesting, variable coloring. Lava
lizards can be seen darting about on most islands of the archipelago or
performing their characteristic “push-up” behavior to show territorial
aggression or courting behavior.
• There are two endemic species of Land Iguana in the Galápagos archipelago,
both of which have pale to dark yellow coloring. Land iguanas have a fairly
limited home range, which means that they rely on a small area to find their
favorite opuntia cactus meals, thus making them susceptible to localized
climatic changes.
• The endemic Marine Iguana is the only sea-faring lizard in the world.
Adult marine iguanas are usually black, but some races have a red and green
lichen-like covering on their backs, the result of dies in the algae they
eat. Marine iguanas are one of the most entertaining creatures to watch:
they propel themselves through the surf with their elongated tails, huddle
together on-land for warmth, and perform a primordial snort (often all over
an unsuspecting visitor) to remove the salt water from their nostrils.
• The endemic Galápagos Sea Lions are the archipelago's most persistent
attention-grabbers. Males jealously guard and protect their territory with
physical and verbal threats, retreating to “bachelor pads” to heal and rest
when they lose a battle; females and juveniles conglomerate in harems; and
pups swim and play together in shallow water “kindergartens.” Since sea
lions are also absolutely fearless of humans, visitors are likely to
encounter them as curious underwater playmates, beach partners, or hilarious
adornments to dinghies and landing points.
• The Galápagos fur seal is easily distinguished from the sea lion by its
smaller size, bear-like facial appearance, and two-layered fur coat. Since
the well-insulated fur seals try to escape the heat by congregating in shady
coves and rock crevices, they are seen less often than the other, more
gregarious sea lion variety.
The wildlife you will see on your Galapagos tour are completely unaffected
by Galapagos travel visitors . For this reason, there is a restricted number
of visitors permitted into the Galapagos each year, as part of a joint
effort to protect the delicate environmental and ecological equilibrium. The
most sensible method of Galapagos travel is via our cruise ships. The M/V
Galapagos Legend provides 3 night, 4 night and 7 night cruises to select
from, which can also be easily merged with Galapagos travel visits to
neighboring South American locations