Galapagos Islands

For hundreds of years, people have been fascinated with the Galapagos Islands, from Charles Darwin to modern day tourists and researchers. The endemic species of flora and fauna have attracted people from all over the world. Some people also enjoy the different climates of the Galapagos; ranging from scorching hot deserts to icy cold oceans, or, from low valleys to mountain peaks covered in snow. Read on to find out more…

One of the native species of the Galapagos Islands is the marine iguana. The marine iguana is a greenish blackish or greenish grayish color, except on Isle Espanola, where they have bright red patterns on them. Marine iguanas feed on algae that grow on the ocean floor. While swimming, a marine iguana holds its legs against its body and moves its tail side-to-side to propel itself.
Another species of iguana that is endemic to the Galapagos Islands is the Galapagos land iguana. Galapagos land iguanas are chiefly the color of sand. But sometimes they may be slightly darker. Unlike their cousin, the marine iguana, Galapagos land iguanas can't swim, and instead of eating algae, they eat larger tougher plants, such as lava cacti.

Marine iguana on Isla Espanola

Another reptile native to the Galapagos Islands is the Galapagos Giant Tortoise; in fact, the Galapagos Islands are named after their best-known residents because galapagos means tortoise in Spanish. Galapagos giant tortoises can live for hundreds of years, and they can go approximately one year without eating or drinking. Unfortunately for them, pirates, sailors, and whalers knew about this, and when they passed the Galapagos Islands they took hundreds of tortoises off the islands and stored them in the hold of the ship, so that the people could have fresh meat anytime that they wanted it. In fact, it was once said that you could walk across the Galapagos Islands without touching the ground, by walking on the backs of tortoises. But now, due to the combined efforts of introduced species, such as the goat and the black rat, and the old pirates, sailors, and whalers, the Galapagos giant tortoise is now endangered.

Galapagos Giant Tortoise on Isla Santa Cruz

There are also many species of birds in the Galapagos Islands, among which are boobies and frigatebirds. Of the six species of booby, three live in the Galapagos. These are the masked booby, the blue-footed booby, and the red- footed booby. The masked booby is the biggest, followed by the blue-footed then the red-footed booby. A boobie's body is shaped like a torpedo, so they can move quickly through water and air. Boobies eat fish, and so do frigatebirds. But unlike boobies, frigatebirds' feathers aren't waterproof, so they can't land on or dive into the water. So instead of catching their fish the honest way, frigatebirds go around pestering other seabirds until the other bird regurgitates the fish that it has caught. Then the agile frigatebird swoops under other bird and catches the regurgitation in its mouth. In fact, 50% of a frigatebird's diet consists of other birds' regurgitation. The other 50% of a frigatebirds' diet consists of fish that jump out of the ocean and the chicks of other birds.

A male blue-footed booby appealing to a female (the male has its wings up)

Roughly 10,000 people live in the three towns on the Galapagos Islands. The largest town is Porta Yora, which is located on Isla Santa Cruz. The reason that there aren't more towns is that the Galapagos Islands became a national park in 1959. There are fourteen major islands and dozens of tiny inlets in the Galapagos Islands, which were formed by the thirteen volcanoes in the ecosystem. The Galapagos Islands, which are about four or five million years old, cover approximately 7845 square kilometers on both sides of the equator.
The Galapagos Islands are wonderful places, but they need special care. The ecosystem is exceptionally fragile. So, if you ever do get to visit the Galapagos Islands make sure that you clean up after yourself, don't take anything from the islands (even rocks or sea shells), never buy a product that has been manufactured from parts of a native animal or plant, and never touch any animal or plant on the islands.

A tortoise-crossing warning sign in Spanish

Last updated 7/21/02
Page maintained by Bud and Joe Hiller
All text written by Joe Hiller
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