{"id":3685,"date":"2017-10-30T09:30:11","date_gmt":"2017-10-30T13:30:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.explorica.ca\/blog\/?p=3685"},"modified":"2017-10-30T10:03:35","modified_gmt":"2017-10-30T14:03:35","slug":"10-must-see-animals-galapagos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.explorica.ca\/blog\/10-must-see-animals-galapagos","title":{"rendered":"10 must-see animals of the Gal\u00e1pagos"},"content":{"rendered":"

We thus learn that man is descended from a hairy, tailed quadruped, probably arboreal in its habits, and an inhabitant of the Old World.<\/em><\/p>\n

– Charles Darwin, The Descent of Man<\/i><\/p>\n

From the land iguana, to the giant tortoise, to the blue-footed booby, the Gal\u00e1pagos islands are a haven for enthusiasts of all things fauna. Known as the place where Darwin researched and solidified his theory of evolution, they’re also home to some of the most unique species in the world, including some you won’t find anywhere else.<\/p>\n

While you can always find pictures of them on the internet, nothing compares to seeing them in person. Take your nature obsession to the next level on one of our science<\/a> tours. Until then, quench your curiosity with tidbits on ten of the Gal\u00e1pagos’ beloved animal inhabitants:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Giant tortoise (Chelonoidis nigra)<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Perhaps the most famous species of the Gal\u00e1pagos, the giant tortoise is endemic, meaning they aren\u2019t found anywhere else in the world.<\/p>\n

With an average lifespan of over 100 years and the ability to go for a year without food or water, the tortoises were once prized by buccaneers, who would take them on ships for backup food in the 16th-17th centuries, leaving the tortoises a threatened species.<\/p>\n

That hasn\u2019t stopped them from becoming the islands\u2019 mascot, though: The giant tortoise is so revered that it gave name to the Gal\u00e1pagos islands \u2014 the old Spanish word \u201cgalapago\u201d means saddle, referring to the tortoise\u2019s round shell.<\/p>\n

\"\"Blue-footed booby (Sula nebouxii)<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

They\u2019re not just for show: The blue-footed booby\u2019s brightly colored feet only appear on males, who use them to attract mates in a complex mating dance. The foot color is also an indicator of health, with the level of brightness showing females how healthy the male suitor is.<\/p>\n

One of the six species of subtropical marine birds known as boobies \u2014 including a red-footed variety, also found in the Gal\u00e1pagos \u2014 the blue-footed booby is known for having eggs that hatch at different times, rather than all at once. This makes for different-sized chicks that fight each other for resources, sometimes to the death.<\/p>\n

\"\"Gal\u00e1pagos land iguana (Conolophus subcristatus)<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Another set of species that\u2019s endemic to the Gal\u00e1pagos, the land iguana comes in bright yellow, and can live for up to 60 years. Cold-blooded, they can be found hanging out on volcanic rocks, where they get most of their heat.<\/p>\n

And if you\u2019re really lucky, you\u2019ll spot a pink one: Only 200 of these are left alive after becoming endangered due to introduced animals infringing on their territory.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t expect them to be nice to look at, though. Despite their bright colors, Darwin called them \u201cugly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Marine iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus)<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

They go way back \u2014 the marine iguana shares a common ancestor with the land iguana, and both are only found in the Gal\u00e1pagos. In fact, the two species can actually interbreed, though their offspring are sterile.<\/p>\n

The marine iguana is different from its land-locked cousin, though: It\u2019s the only lizard in the world that feeds from the sea, eating mostly algae.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also remarkable in its adaptations to stress. When there\u2019s not enough food to go around, the marine iguana shrinks in size in order to use energy more efficiently.<\/p>\n

\"\"Galapagos penguin (Spheniscus mendiculus)<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

The only penguin found north of the equator and the second-smallest penguin species, the Gal\u00e1pagos penguins are some of the cutest critters you\u2019ll find on the islands.<\/p>\n

Another endemic species, they go to great lengths to stay cool, hunching over to protect their sensitive feet from sunlight, and keeping their eggs cool by hiding them between rocks.<\/p>\n

You’d be lucky to spot one, though: Unfortunately, it\u2019s estimated that there are only about 1500 of these penguins left, with 70% of its population lost in the 1980s due in part to introduced dogs and cats.<\/p>\n

\"\"Gal\u00e1pagos sea lion (Zalophus wollebaeki)<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Known as the \u201cwelcoming party\u201d of the Gal\u00e1pagos islands, these friendly and playful animals are often seen lounging on beaches as visitors come in.<\/p>\n

Endemic to the Gal\u00e1pagos, the Gal\u00e1pagos sea lions are well-known for their \u201cbark;\u201d incredibly, a mother and her calf can distinguish each others’ barks from 30 other sea lions.<\/p>\n

Females can be found babysitting groups of pups while other females hunt far away. Look out for battle scars on the males: They are very territorial, and often get into fights.<\/p>\n

\"\"Rice Rat (Aegialomys galapagoensis)<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

They may not sound remarkable, but these little rats, endemic to the Galapagos, have accomplished an astonishing feat. Many animals arrived at the Gal\u00e1pagos from mainland South America, but rice rats actually hold the world record for the longest unaided ocean crossing for any mammal.<\/p>\n

While the ancestors that made the crossing, giant rats, used to roam the island, you can rest easy knowing that they\u2019re extinct, and the current rice rats are nocturnal. In fact, most travelers don\u2019t see them at all.<\/p>\n

\"\"Great frigatebird (Fregata minor)<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Known for its red-purple neck feathers, which males expand during mating season, these massive birds have an incredible 7-foot wingspan.<\/p>\n

They put it to good use, too \u2014 great frigatebirds travel hundreds of miles away from home, but always return to where they were born to lay eggs. Speaking of eggs, their chicks can be heard calling and tapping\u00a0before they\u2019ve hatched<\/i>.<\/p>\n

As if that wasn\u2019t weird enough, great frigatebirds have also been known to steal food from other birds while in the air, a practice known as kleptoparasitism.<\/p>\n

Sally Lightfoot Crab (Grapsus grapsus)\"\"<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

These brightly colored crabs are nice to look at, but don\u2019t bother trying to catch them \u2014 as Darwin noted when he visited the island, they\u2019re notoriously fast.<\/p>\n

They also don\u2019t work well as food, and are instead mostly used by fisherman as bait. They serve an important purpose on the island, though: They clean the parasites off of marine iguanas in an instance of symbiosis.<\/p>\n

\"\"Darwin\u2019s finches (Thraupidae <\/i>family)<\/b><\/p>\n

Actually a group of 15 species of birds, \u201cDarwin\u2019s finches\u201d are partly responsible for inspiring the theory of evolution.<\/p>\n

Darwin originally captured the finches on the second voyage of the Beagle. Seeing that the different species were all very similar to American finches, except with different sized and shaped beaks, Darwin determined that the birds had \u201cdiverged\u201d from their American ancestor, evolving different traits to adapt to their new environment.<\/p>\n

This includes one sharp-beaked ground finch, known as the \u201cvampire finch\u201d for sucking the blood of other animals. See if you can spot a finch perched on the back of a giant tortoise \u2014 they eat parasites off the shells.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re excited to show off these animals to your students, you\u2019re in luck: We have many tours that either focus on the islands or include excursions there. Choose from The Gal\u00e1pagos & Machu Picchu<\/a>, Ecuador: Andes & Amazon Adventure<\/a> (Gal\u00e1pagos tour optional), Gal\u00e1pagos Island Adventure<\/a>, Gal\u00e1pagos Island Highlights<\/a>, and Make a Difference: Ecuador<\/a> (Gal\u00e1pagos tour optional).<\/p>\n

Works cited:<\/em>
\nhttps:\/\/www.galapagos.org\/about_galapagos\/about-galapagos\/biodiversity\/mammals\/<\/em>
\nhttps:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Gal%C3%A1pagos_Islands<\/em>
\nhttp:\/\/travelblog.goaheadtours.com\/9-animals-youll-only-find-in-the-galapagos\/<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We thus learn that man is descended from a hairy, tailed quadruped, probably arboreal in its habits, and an inhabitant of the Old World. – Charles Darwin, The Descent of Man From the land iguana, to the giant tortoise, to the blue-footed booby, the Gal\u00e1pagos islands are a haven for enthusiasts of all things fauna. Read More …<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":38,"featured_media":3686,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3685","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-explorica-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3685","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/38"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3685"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3685\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3689,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3685\/revisions\/3689"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3686"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3685"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3685"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.explorica.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3685"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}