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Galapagos Islands Photo Gallery - Best Photos, including marine iguana, sea lion, blue-footed booby, magnificent frigatebird, Nazca masked booby, Waved Albatross, Galapagos Tortoise, Bartolome, and red-footed booby

In August 2007 we traveled to Quito, Ecuador, Cotopaxi and Chimborazo, and the Galapagos Islands

Galapagos 1-2-05 Bachas Marine Iguana We soon caught our first glimpse of a marine iguana, certainly among the most unusual creatures in the Galapagos. Charles Darwin made extensive observations on these large, lizard-like reptiles. They certainly well demonstrate the unique evolution and adaptation of Galapagos fauna, developing into efficient swimmers feeding off shore mostly on marine algae and seaweed. A gland connected to the notrils removes salt from the body, which is then expelled by sneezing. The spray often shoots up into the air and then falls back on the head, where it forms the white wig often seen on marine iguanas.

Galapagos 1-2-05 Bachas Marine Iguana

Galapagos 2-1-04 North Seymour Baby Sea Lion Close Up Just after landing on North Seymour, a baby sea lion and his older sibling walked across our path. The baby sea lion was very cute, and nestled at our feet.

Galapagos 2-1-04 North Seymour Baby Sea Lion Close Up

Galapagos 2-1-08 North Seymour Blue-footed Booby Named for their blue legs and feet, the blue-footed booby is one of the highlights of our trip to the Galapagos Islands. We could get so close it was amazing.

Galapagos 2-1-08 North Seymour Blue-footed Booby

Galapagos 2-1-12 North Seymour Male Magnificent Frigatebird The magnificent frigatebird is a large black bird with a long wingspan and a hooked beak for snatching prey out of the water or catching flying fish. The male magnificent frigatebird is known for the large red pouch on his neck and purple iridescence on the wings. During mating season the adult male magnificent frigatebird throws back his head, inflates his throat pouch like a balloon, and shakes trying to capture the attention of female Frigates.

Galapagos 2-1-12 North Seymour Male Magnificent Frigatebird

Galapagos 3-1-10 Espanola Punta Suarez Nazca Masked Booby Close Up Espanola has many Nazca, or masked, boobies. The masked booby has a long, stout neck and a strong, cone-shaped bill. Its plumage is mostly white, but its beak and surrounding skin are dark and brightly coloured.

Galapagos 3-1-10 Espanola Punta Suarez Nazca Masked Booby Close Up

Galapagos 3-1-15 Espanola Punta Suarez Waved Albatrosses Mating Dance Espanola is the colony of waved albatrosses, magnificent birds of enormous wing span, which breed exclusively on Espanola. It has brown upper parts and wings with gray, waved bars (hence its name), a white neck, a cream-colored nape, and a handsome yellow beak. We were lucky enough to come upon pairs of male and female waved albatrosses doing their mating dance. The pair dance with each other in an awkward waddle, move their necks up and down in rhythm, clack and encircle their bills, and raise their bills skyward. Hi-larious.

Galapagos 3-1-15 Espanola Punta Suarez Waved Albatrosses Mating Dance

Galapagos 5-1-07 Puerto Ayora Darwin Research Station Tortoise Close Up At the Darwin Research Station in Puerto Ayora we were able to see the Galapagos tortoise whose enormous saddle-shaped shell gave the islands their name. The Spanish word 'galapago' means 'saddle'. This saddle-shaped species of tortoise evolved so it could stretch its neck to eat high vegetation.

Galapagos 5-1-07 Puerto Ayora Darwin Research Station Tortoise Close Up

Galapagos 5-1-12 Charlotte Ryan, Peter Ryan and Jerome Ryan Posing At Academy Bay, Puerto Ayora Puerto Ayora is a modern town with a population of over 12,000 people on Santa Cruz Island and is an obligatory stop for all ships so there are many hotels, restaurants, souvenir shops, internet cafes, etc. Charlotte Ryan, Peter Ryan, and Jerome Ryan pose in front of the hustle and bustle in Academy Bay, with over 50 boats anchored in the bay.

Galapagos 5-1-12 Charlotte Ryan, Peter Ryan and Jerome Ryan Posing At Academy Bay, Puerto Ayora

Galapagos 6-1-04 Santiago Puerto Egas Wavey Shoreline Named after the owner of a salt mine, Puerto Egas on the west side of Santiago begins with a wet landing on a long flat, black lava shoreline where eroded shapes form lava pools, caves and inlets. Here is a close up the beautiful wavey eroded shapes of the rocks on the shoreline at Puerto Egas.

Galapagos 6-1-04 Santiago Puerto Egas Wavey Shoreline

Galapagos 6-2-08 Bartolome North Beach and Pinnacle Rock The large black partially eroded lava formation of Pinnacle Rock on Bartolome was created when magma expelled from the volcano reached the sea. When the seawaters cooled the hot lava it caused an explosion. The exploded particles eventually fasten together forming a rock composed of thin layers.

Galapagos 6-2-08 Bartolome North Beach and Pinnacle Rock

Galapagos 6-2-19 Bartolome Pinnacle Rock From The Top Of The Spatter Cone Bartolome, located just a few hundred metres off the east coast of Santiago, is the most visited and most photographed island in the Galapagos, with the best known feature being the tuff cone known as Pinnacle Rock. Sullivan Bay on Santiago Islands lies across from Bartolome to the right in the photo.

Galapagos 6-2-19 Bartolome Pinnacle Rock From The Top Of The Spatter Cone

Galapagos 7-2-05 Genovesa Darwin Bay Red-footed Booby The highlight of the trip to Genovesa is seeing the red-footed booby because they are found only at the fringes of the Galapagos, with over 140,000 pairs on Genovesa. Red-footed boobies are all brown with the exception of red legs and feet and a light blue bill with a red base.

Galapagos 7-2-05 Genovesa Darwin Bay Red-footed Booby


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