The Galápagos Islands, an isolated archipelago in the Pacific Ocean, are a natural wonderland teeming with bizarre and vibrant wildlife where unique species have adapted in extraordinary ways to the harsh and varied environments.
We take a look at the wonderful creatures and plants that call this enchanted place home.
Galápagos Islands' wird and wonderful wildlife
Galápagos giant tortoise
The world’s largest tortoise, the Galápagos giant tortoise, gave these islands their name. Spanish sailors who discovered the archipelago named it after the species.
Marine iguana
Marine iguanas are endemic to the Galápagos Islands and are the only sea-going lizards in the world! They must sunbathe to raise its body temperature before making a short trip into the sea. It feeds on algae.
Land iguana
Darwin unkindly described the land iguana - one of the world's largest lizards - as having a “singularly stupid appearance.”
Lava lizard
Lava lizards have unusually well developed colour vision, which plays an important role during courtship – the females develop bright red throats.
Flightless cormorant
As the name suggest, this bird is unable to fly. The flightless cormorant feeds on bottom-dwelling fishes, which it hunts for by making pursuit-dives.
- Flightless birds - how did some birds lose their ability to fly?
- 10 flightless birds: Meet some curious - and often strange - land-based avian wonders
Swallow-tailed gull
The Swallow-tailed gull is one of the world’s few nocturnal gulls. Night-time feeding enables it to avoid the piratical attentions of the marauding frigatebirds.
Galápagos (or Darwin’s) finches
The 13 endemic finch species have proved extremely valuable to evolutionary theory. They are thought to have evolved from a common ancestor.
Giant prickly pear
The prickly pear is a tall tree cactus which has developed a well-protected trunk to spare it from the ravages of giant tortoises and land iguanas.
Galápagos sealion
The Galápagos sealion is one of the most conspicuous and numerous marine mammals found on the Galápagos Islands.
Blue-footed booby
Instantly recognisable by its bright blue webbed feet, this comical looking seabird usually nests in colonies of up to several hundred. Masked boobies and red-footed boobies can also be seen on the Galápagos Islands.
Magnificent frigatebird
The aerial manoeuvres of this seabird - which we named one of the world's weirdest birds - captivated Darwin so much so he gave the species the nickname “condor of the ocean.”
Galápagos penguin
About 95 percent of the population can be found on the islands of Ferdinandina and Isabela.
Waved albatross
These large birds spend most of their lives at sea, but come ashore to breed on the Galápagos Islands.
Red-billed tropicbird
Largest of the three tropicbird species and an energetic flier that spends a lot of time over the open water.
Galápagos hawk
This bird of prey has no natural predators on the Galápagos Islands and therefore shows very little fear of humans.
Galápagos mockingbird
Of the four species that occur in the archipelago, the Galápagos mockingbird is by far the most widespread and had an influence on Darwin’s theory of natural selection.
Galápagos fur seal
The breeding season of this species lasts from mid-August to mid-November. Pups are born at the end of September or beginning of October.
