The endemic & native animals of the Galapagos Islands
The Galapagos Islands are a natural laboratory of evolution, with thousands of endemic plants and animals. The wildlife of these unique volcanic islands inspired Charles Darwin to develop his Theory of Evolution. During his visit to the archipelago, he noted that the unique specimens were similar from island to island, but perfectly adapted to their surroundings.
Having said that, Galapagos is home to many unique creatures found nowhere else in the world. In the following paragraphs, we are going to talk about the amazing animals of the Enchanted Islands.
- Lava Lizards: These small reptiles are found on the main islands of the Galapagos Archipelago. There are seven documented sub species of these animals in the islands, usually living in rocky areas.
- Darwin’s finches: These tiny land birds where first documented by Charles Darwin, and inspired the famous Theory of Evolution. There are 13 different groups of these finches found throughout the Galapagos Islands. It is interesting to note that their features vary from island to island, which demonstrates the evolution and adaptation of these species to their surroundings.
- Galapagos mockingbirds: These birds are medium sized and are endemic to the Galapagos Islands (found nowhere else in the world). Most of these species travel by foot and rarely fly. Their diet consists of seeds and eggs of baby turtles.
- Galapagos penguin: These animals are endemic to the Enchanted Islands and have adapted to their environment throughout the years, especially to the weather of this iconic archipelago. Through the day they spend time in cool marine currents and come back to land at night, and make their nests in Fernandina and Isabela Islands.
- Galapagos tortoises: These are probably the most famous creatures in the Galapagos Archipelago. Their lifespan may reach 100 years in their natural environment, and captive specimens can live more time (one tortoise lived at least 170 years). The Galapagos tortoises are the largest land animal in the Galapagos, and can weight more than 700 pounds.
- Galapagos fur seals: Galapagos fur seals are the smallest otariids, and can be found on nearly all of the islands of the Archipelago. Adults males can weight more than 140 pounds, and females are smaller averaging 61 pounds in mass.
- Galapagos sea lions: The Zalophus wollebaeki (the scientific name of this species) breeds mainly on the Enchanted Islands, even though some breeding colonies can also be found in Isla de La Plata (Manabí Province, Ecuador). These marine animals can be seen in the Galapagos Archipelago throughout the year, and they are actually very social.
As we have seen, Galapagos is one of the wealthiest places in terms of wildlife in the whole world. We have talked in this post about some incredible birds such as the Darwin’s finches and the Galapagos mocking birds, but also about some reptiles like the lava lizards or the enormous Galapagos tortoises. The Galapagos fur seals, the Galapagos sea lions, and the Galapagos penguins are also one great example of the amazing diversity of the Enchanted Islands. In next blogs, we are going to talk about other exclusive and unique animals of the Archipelago. Stay tuned!
Tags: Galapagos, animals, endemic, native, nature, livestock, Charles Darwin, islands, travel.
Meta: In the following post we are going to talk about the amazing livestock of the Galapagos Islands. Some of the animals mentioned in this article are endemic (found nowhere else in the world) or native (found in specific places in the world, including the Galapagos). Hope you enjoy it!