Galapagos Islands’ Animals

Home to many unique and endemic animals, the Galapagos Islands is a fantastic destination to vacation in. What makes this archipelago so unique and special is the lack of fear in the animals that live here. In the Galapagos, you can literally walk along side giant tortoises, swim with dolphins and penguins, feed hammerhead sharks and spot some of the most rare birds on the planet. A wonderful place to come up close and personal with nature, the Galapagos Islands is a true nature wonderland.

The ideal location for a wildlife adventure, the animals of the Galapagos Islands are incredible to watch. Completely at home even around human visitors, these islands make vacationing here really something extraordinary. The main reason why the animals of the Galapagos have no fear is because of the lack of natural predators found here. In fact, it can be said that the animals on the Galapagos Islands are often more curious about their visitors than vice versa. Birds, tortoises, turtles, seals, iguanas, lizards, whales and dolphins are the most common animals in the Galapagos Islands.

Land based Galapagos Islands Animals

A number of animals on the Galapagos Islands are land based. One of the best examples is the Galapagos Tortoise. Although there have been fourteen species of the Galapagos Tortoise discovered, today only eleven species remain. One more species of tortoise is in danger of dying out if Lonesome George, the last surviving tortoises from Isla Pinzon does not mate soon. Weighing up to 250kgs, the Galapagos tortoises are gentle giants that you can’t help but fall in love with.

Another popular land based animal is the Galapagos land iguana. Found on the islands of Isabela, Seymour, South Plaza, Santa Cruz and Fernandina, these iguanas are endemic to the Galapagos. The Santa Fe land iguana is another iguana species, and is indigenous to Santa Fe.

Some other terrestrial animal in the Galapagos include seven lava lizard species, geckos, the Galapagos snake, rats and two bat species.

Water based Galapagos Islands Animals

Besides the plethora of fish that live in the waters around the Galapagos, sea lions, dolphins, whales, turtles, penguins, seals and marine iguanas are among the famous water based Galapagos Islands’ animals. The Galapagos sea lion and the Galapagos fur seal are endemic to this area, as are marine iguanas, which can be found no where else in the world but here. Hammerhead sharks, humpback whales, sperm whales and bottle-nosed dolphins can also be spotted in the Galapagos, along with the Galapagos penguins, the only penguins that can be found near the equator.