Page 4 - Galapagos Islands Wildlife

The snapshots from four days in the Galapagos cannot begin to convey the diversity and uniqueness of the creatures that live on these islands.  That said, we encountered more animals by the end of our second day than I had expected to see during the entire trip.

The bull Sea Lion isn't fooled, and loudly chases the intruder away

The bull sea lion isn't fooled, and loudly chases the intruder away

Galapagos - Santiago Island  //  Sneaky attempt for a group photo

Isla Santiago // Sneaking into place for a group photo with the lady sea lions

The indifference on the part of the animals about being approached means that a telephoto lens isn’t required equipment, but also presents a problem for your guide.  Every shore visit brings a new reminder to please keep your distance from the wildlife.

A Canon PowerShot camera with a 3x zoom is more than sufficient to get full-frame photos of most of the animals you will see while in the Galapagos Islands, although birders, who will be in heaven here, may still want to pack along more sophisticated equipment with longer lenses.

As for opportunities to photograph wildlife, even photos where the landscape is the intended subject will often capture a bonus critter, and a photo of a particular animal will often include another species whether intended or not.  The casual intermixing of species, including humans, is explained by the guides as the result of a peculiar selection of breeds in which none are the natural enemies (or meal) of the others, at least not on land.

The first set of photos below, along the beautiful coast of Isla Isabela, may be amazing rock formations with animals on them, or wildlife photos in a spectacular setting, your choice.

Galapagos - Isla Isabela //  Left to Right:  Rock formations with Sea Lions and Crabs, Penguins and Crabs, Pelican and...Crab

Galapagos - Isla Isabela // Left to Right: Rock formations with Sea Lions and Crabs, Penguins and Crabs, Pelican and...Crab

The endemic subspecies of Brown Pelican found in the Galapagos Islands is described as having a white head and brown body, so the pelican above may have been a different member of the family who was just passing through – naturalists invited to comment.

The Galapagos Sea Lions deserve more attention than the long distance shots above, which we provide in the photos below from Isla Santiago (formerly San Salvador or James Island).  Sleeping and sunning are favorite pastimes, and in the photo on the right a good backscratch is added to the agenda.  The group of Marine Iguanas apparently doesn’t see this writhing sea lion as a threat.

Isla Santiago  //  Galapagos Sea Lions enjoy a day at the beach

Isla Santiago // Galapagos Sea Lions enjoy a day at the beach

The next page continues with More Galapagos Wildlife.


Galápagos Islands Cruise – Page 1

Page 2 – Galapagos Giant Tortoise

Page 3 – Galapagos Environments

Page 4 – You Are Here

Page 5 – More Galapagos Wildlife

Page 6 – A Glimpse of Ecuador

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