Okay, first of all most of the animals we will see while we are visiting the Galapagos are found no where else on earth! Eighty percent of the land birds, and ninety seven percent of the mammals and reptiles are found no where else. That's super cool. So lets get this party started, shall we?
As I am sure most of us know, the Galapagos is famous for its birds. Darwin and his research on the Finches ringing a bell? The finches are the most abundant species of birds on the islands.
(greglasley.net) A warbler Finch
There is a total of twenty nine species of land birds on the islands. The islands even have their own species of owls and hawk, called the Galapagos Hawk, Galapagos Short-Eared Owl and the Galapagos Barn Owl. The Hawks hunt during the day for insects, small lizards and rodents. The Galapagos Short Eared Owl hunts at night on island the Hawks inhabit and hunt during the day on islands where the Hawks do not live. They usually hunt the chicks of sea birds. The Barn owl hunts at night, and eats mostly insects and rodents.
(Seancrane.net) Galapagos Hawk
(galapagoscruises.com) Galapagos Barn Owl
(Flickr.com) Galapagos Short-Eared Owl
Along with the Land birds, there is also an extensive amount of Sea birds. There are fifty six native species of birds on the islands. The one I think is the most exciting? The Galapagos Penguin! Yes there are penguins, I am not making that up. They are one of the smaller species of Penguin, and are the only known species that lives close to and on the equator. They populate the western islands mostly, as the water is a little bit colder. They are also listed as an endangered species. Look at it, isn't it adorable?!
(True-wildlife.blogspot.com)
So enough with the birds and onto iguanas! There are three species of land Iguanas on the islands, the Conolophus subcristatus, Conolophus pallidus and Conolophus marthae. All of the land Iguanas are large; they stretch longer than three feet and adult males can weigh up to thirty pounds. They live on the drier sections of the islands and can be found sunning themselves in the morning sun. The Iguana's eat plants and shrubs as well as fruit and cactus pads.
(naturephoto-cz.com) A land Iguana
As well as Land Iguanas, there are also species of Marine Iguanas. Almost every shoreline is home to the Marine Iguana Amblyrhynchus cristatus. This is the only species of Marine Iguana on earth. They live on land but feed in the ocean on a variety of algae and seaweed. Fun fact: when they go hungry they do not only become thin but they also become shorter.
(fusieschool-wolvertem.be) Marine Iguana
Now onto mammals! The Galapagos has a variety of Mammals, including the Galapagos Sea lion, and two species of bat. (Little is known about the bats). The Sea Lions can be found sprawled on the beaches and the rocky shorelines of the islands. They are the largest animal that inhabit the islands, adult males reaching up to five hundred and fifty pounds in weight. Their diet consists of mostly fish.
(students.cis.uab.edu) Galapagos Sea Lion
Last but not least, are the Giant Tortoises. They are easily one of the most famous animals that lives on the islands. They eat mainly plants, including cactus pads, fruits and grasses. There are two species, the domed carpace and the saddle-back crapace. The domed Carpaces live on the more humid islands and are larger in size. The Saddle-back carpace live on the drier islands. Fun fact: Both species are able to live up to a year without food or water.
(mountiansoftravelphotos.com) Domed Tortoise
(Smithsonianmag.com) Saddle-back Tortoise
And that's it! And as today is March 17, Happy St. Patties day everyone!
~Sam
