Animals of Galapagos Island
The Galapagos Islands are part of the national park system of Ecuador, with the archipelago located in the Pacific 600 miles west of the South American country. The animals that inhabit the Galapagos Islands include marine mammals, seabirds, land-based birds and reptiles. The Animal Corner website notes that any the terrestrial mammals are few, as the island chain’s remoteness limited the number of species that could access them.
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Galapagos fur seal
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The Galapagos fur seal adult reaches lengths of 5 feet, making this species the smallest of all pinnipeds. Found exclusively in the Galapagos Islands, the species is the sole seal that breeds in waters of a tropical nature. The Galapagos fur seal dines on fish and squid that it hunts for in the upper layers of the ocean during nocturnal dives. The Galapagos fur seal has a three-month window during which it can give birth, making this seal the one with the longest “pupping period” of all seals, according to the Marine Bio website.
Marine iguana
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The Galapagos Islands are the only place on earth that the marine iguana lives. This lizard is the one species that goes into saltwater, swimming effortlessly with the aid of a compressed tail that helps propel it through the waves. The marine iguanas are all one species, despite noticeable differences in color and size. For example, the smallest marine iguanas occur on the island of Genovesa, while some of the biggest inhabit Isabela. The marine iguana’s primary food is algae that it forages for in the sea; the lizard must bask in the sun to bring its body temperature back up after long dips in the ocean.
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Lava heron
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The lava heron exists only in the Galapagos Islands. This wading bird is a common sight in the James Bay region of the islands. They are gray with dark-shaded wings and orange legs. The lava heron moves about on the rocky terrain of the shoreline and inhabits the mangrove swamps in the chain. Its colors blend in with the volcanic rock of the landscape. While most herons breed and nest in colonies, the lava herons do so in pairs by themselves, usually low in a mangrove tree or in a spot beneath some rocks. Lizards, crabs and small fish are its main foods; the heron will wait for its prey to pass by and rapidly spear it with its long bill.
Storm petrel
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The storm petrel is a seabird that can remind you of a large bat, as its movements mimic that of the winged mammals as it flies about in search of a meal. The storm petrel eats small crustaceans and fish that it will pluck from the ocean. It is a pelagic species, meaning that it only goes to land when needing to breed. Three species of storm petrel inhabit the Galapagos Islands. The birds will nest in colonies, with one such colony existing in a section of Genovesa Island called Prince Philip’s Steps.
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