The Animals of the Galapagos Islands By Louise Mumford At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

The central appeal of Galapagos Islands holidays is the wonderful variety of wildlife to be found there. Because the creatures on the islands have evolved with relatively little interference from man, they do not fear humans. This means that on your Galapagos tour, you can get up close to the following creatures for an unforgettable experience, and some good photos.

Boobies

Boobies spend a lot of time out at sea, returning ashore to find a mate and nest, and this is when you'll find them in the Galapagos. With a long beak and webbed feet, Boobies come in three varieties: masked, blue-footed and red-footed. Although the latter is the most famous (because it is the variety you see most frequently on Galapagos island tours) the red-footed species is the most colourful. As well as its bright red feet it also has a turquoise beak and ring to its eye. You can see these on Tower Island, Wenman Island, Punta and a few others.

The mating dance of the blue-footed booby is frequently the subject of Galapagos Islands holiday videos. The dance involves the birds ceremonially lifting their bright blue feet while swaying, bowing, and stretching their wings; it can be seen on several of the islands around the months of May to July.

Iguanas

Another strange sight for your Galapagos tours will be the iguanas taking to the water. Marine iguanas are an unusual breed of lizard that will find food in the sea before returning to land to warm up again. Believe it or not, there are also Pink Iguanas here. They were discovered in the 1980s on volcanic Isabela Island, but scientists have only been trying to track the origins of these distinctive and striking creatures within the last ten years. The numbers of these remarkable lizards, which are the colour of strawberry ice cream, are estimated to be less than a hundred.

Equatorial Penguins

It may seem strange to think of a penguin away from the Polar regions, but here you can see them clambering on the rocks Because they have less need for winter insulation, the Galapagos penguins appear thinner than the ones you'll find towards the South Pole. Penguins are curious by nature and will sometimes approach snorkelers to investigate the new arrivals that come with Galapagos island tours.

In the Water

As well as the colourful fish you would expect, the water around the islands is also a good place to find hammerhead sharks, rays, and several species of dolphin.

If you are a qualified diver, you should be able to enjoy the water on Galapagos Islands holidays all year round; however, there are cold currents locally so the best time of year for snorkelling and scuba diving is between December and May when the sea is warmer and clearer. Because of these changeable currents, Galapagos diving tours are not recommended for beginners. Luckily, there are a number of locations suitable for snorkelling. In shallow waters you can see all sorts of exotic fish, and perhaps something larger, like a seal pup!

These are just some of the animals you can find on Galapagos island tours. A quarter of all species you come across can’t be found anywhere else in the world. This makes everything you see on Galapagos Islands holidays special.

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