Galapagos wildlife

Giant Tortoise
There are 11 surviving subspecies of the Giant Tortoise, all distinguished by the differences of their shell.  They can weigh up to 250 kg and are guessed to have a life span of about 150 years.  The best place to view them is at the Charles Darwin Research Center where hatchlings as well as older tortoises are kept as part of a breeding project.

Pacific Green Sea Turtle 
This marine turtle normally weighs 100-200 pounds and is often seen during its mating season in the later part of the year in secluded lagoons, particularly in Black Turtle Cove.  The turtles apparently have incredible navigational skills, because there is growing evidence that the female returns to the same beach she was hatched on to lay her own eggs.

Marine Iguana
Marine iguanas are seen in numerous amounts, especially on lava rock shores.  They are strong divers, sometimes descending to depths of 35 ft.  Normally they have a black skin, but in the breeding season, which varies from island to island, the males turn bright green and red.

Land Iguana
There are two endemic species of land iguana on the Galapagos, both of which are yellow and live in the arid zones of the central and western islands.  Their diet consists mainly of prickly pear cacti, which also supplies them with water.  The number of land iguanas has drastically declined over the past years and they are now an endangered species. 

Lava Lizards
There are seven endemic species of lava lizards on the islands, with colors that range from grey, black, red and orange.  The females are usually brown with a brilliant slash of scarlet on the face and throat.  They live on all the islands and are commonly seen doing their territorial "push-ups" which vary from island to island.

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Mammals

Galapagos Sea Lion
The endemic Galapagos sea lion is a subspecies of the Californian sea lion.  They can be seen all along the sandy beaches and rocky shores of the islands.  The males are very territorial and should not be approached to closely.  Female and young however, are extremely playful and will often swim with divers.  One male usually protects a group of about 30 females and their young, but an entire bachelor colony of older males can be seen on the rocky cliffs of South Plaza Island. 

Fur Seal
Although there are nearly as many fur seals as seal lions, they are not seen as often due to their more nocturnal habits.  The majority inhabit islands with sheltered caves where they can rest during the day.  The best place to see them is in the Fur Seal Grotto on James Bay, James Island, or near the landing at Prince Phillip's Steps on Tower Island.

Dolphins
There are three species of dolphins that live around the islands.  The most frequently seen are the bottle-nosed dolphins, which are often spotted in front of or around boats. Less commonly seen are spinner and common dolphins.

Whales
The sperm whales around the Galapagos were almost hunted to extinction by whalers in the 18^th century, and as a result are rarely seen even today.  Some pods are occasionally seen in the northern and western waters, and individuals are sometimes spotted in the narrow channel between Fernandina and Isabela.  Humpback, sei, minke, finback, pilot and killer whales are also occasionally seen.

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Sea Birds

Waved Albatross
Endemic to the Galapagos, the waved albatross is the largest bird on the island with a wingspan approaching 8 ft.  Starting in early April, the entire population of albatross arrives at Espanola Island to nest and breed, and then leaves again in December to stay four months at sea.  If seeing the waved albatross is important to you, you should visit the island between April and early December.

Blue-Footed Booby
As their name suggests, the blue-footed boobies are best recognized by their bright blue feet.  They are also well known for their unusual courtship display, in which they move their feet in sequence, bow and point their wings and beak skyward.  Large colonies of blue-footed boobies can be found on the islands of Espanola and Seymour, and the islet of Daphne Major.

Red-Footed Booby
The second specie of booby on the Galapagos is the red-footed booby, which is similar to the blue-footed variety except that it has bright red feet.  The best place to see these birds are on Tower Island and the Punta Pitt on San Cristobal Island.

Masked or White Booby
The last and largest species of booby on the islands is the masked or white booby.  Their most distinguishing feature is their brilliant white color and their black face mask.  They are frequently seen on the steep slopes of the Tower and Espanola Islands, particularly during their mating seasons, which is from May to February on Tower and from September to May on Espanola.

Flightless Cormorant
The flightless cormorant is endemic to the Galapagos and is the only grounded cormorant in the world.  It makes up for the loss of its wings by being a terrific diver.  The flightless cormorants are an endangered species and can only be found on the western island of Isabela and Fernandina.

Frigate Bird
Frigate birds are named after frigates, war ships that were commonly used by pirates.  This is an ideal name for these large, black birds which harass other ocean birds coming back from fishing trips until they drop their catch.  The males are easily distinguished by their large red throat pouches, which they inflate during courtship displays.  They can be seen on Punta Pitt, San Cristobal Island, Seymour Island, and on Darwin Bay, Tower Island. 

Brown Pelican
The brown pelicans are instantly recognizable by their large size and huge pouched bill.  They are normally brown in color but during their breeding season have bright white and chestnut markings around their head.  They can be seen on every island, frequently spotted flying in large groups.

Galapagos Penguin
Endemic to the Galapagos, these birds are the most northerly penguins in the world.  They were greatly affected by El Nino, loosing over 75% of their population.  They are now slowly recovering and can be seen on Fernandina, Bartolme and Isabela islands.

Lava Gull
This small, dark grey or black bird is endemic to the Galapagos and is the rarest gull in the world, with only 400 pairs in existence.  Despite this, visitors are likely to see them since they are widely distributed throughout all the islands, especially in the bays and lagoons of Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island.

Swallow-Tailed Gull
These gulls are endemic to the islands and are the only nocturnal gulls in the world.  They have grey and white plumage with bright red feet and a crimson eye ring.  They breed in a 9-10 month cycle and are found in large colonies on South Plaza, Tower, and Seymour Island.

Red-Billed Tropicbird
    These birds are considered to be the most beautiful and graceful birds in the Galapagos Islands.  They are easily distinguished by their brilliant white color, their red bill, and their  long tail streamers.  Commonly seen around the cliffs of Espanola, Tower and South Plaza Islands.

True Petrel
True Petrels have black and white plumage.  They are commonly seen gliding over the ocean in search of fish and squid.

Storm Petrel
There are three species of storm petrels on the Galapagos, the wedge-rumped, band-rumped and white-vented storm petrels, all dark with a white rump.  They are the smallest among sea birds, about the size of a swallow.  The wedge-rumped and band-rumped storm petrels breed in huge colonies on Genevosa Island.  Although they exist in the thousands, little about the species are known.