Galapagos

We visited the Galapagos Islands in 1985, 1986, and 1988. The Galapagos Islands are an archipelago of volcanic islands in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, around the equator, 558 miles (898 km) west of the mainland of South America, and are governed by Ecuador. The islands are famous for their large number of endemic species, studied by Charles Darwin in the 1830s and the inspiration for his theory of evolution. All of the islands are protected as part of Ecuador's Galapagos National Park and Marine Reserve.

Bartolome

marine iguanas marine iguanas Marine iguana, Amblyrhynchus cristatus

land iguana Galapagos land iguana, Conolophus subcristatus

domed-shell giant tortoise saddle-backed giant tortoise giant tortoises Galapagos giant tortoise, Chelonoides nigra

lava lizard Lava lizard, Microlophus sp. (there are six species, all endemic)

fiddler crab Galapagos (painted) ghost crab, Ocypode gaudichaudii

beachmaster sea lion sea lion Galapagos sea lion, Zalophus wollebaeki

Darwin finch Darwin ground finch (Galapagos finch), Geopiza sp.

mockingbird mockingbird Galapagos mockingbird, Mimus parvulus

blue-footed booby sky pointing blue-footed boobies Blue-footed booby, Sula nebouxii

red-footed booby, brown phase Red-footed booby, Sula sula

masked booby bird feeding chick Nazca booby, Sula granti

Galapagos hawk Galapagos hawk, Buteo galapagoensis

waved albatros waved albatroses Waved albatross (Galapagos albatross), Phoebastria irrorata

male frigate bird displaying Magnificent frigatebird, Fregata magnificens

Galapagos penguins Galapagos penguin Galapagos penguin, Spheniscus mendiculus

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Last modified 14 April 2026