The Galapagos Islands Wildlife Tour

5th February 2010

At the start of January this year, our senior business consultant Jamie Malin spent a ten day expedition visiting some of the different islands of the Galapagos. Jamie has been a wildlife enthusiast since he was young and has been photographing animals for many years.

One of the most amazing things about the animals of the Galapagos is that they have virtually no fear of humans. This means you can have very close encounters with some of the world's most interesting and unusual creatures.

Take a quick tour around some of the Galapagos Island's wildlife:

Marine Iguana - The Galapagos is the only place in the world where you can find marine iguanas. They are named as such since they actually swim in the sea and will even dive down underwater to feed on algae that grow on the rocks.

Marine Iguana - Each island popualted by marine iguanas contains a unique endemic species of this interesting reptile. Their colorations vary from island to island.

Blue Footed Booby - Probably the most notorious animals of the islands are the blue footed boobys. These birds perform a funny courtship dance that has the male lifting their blue feet high and then throwing their heads up.

Galapagos Sea Lion - This species of sea lion is found throughout many of the islands. Their playful nature sees them gracefully swim around you blowing bubbles in your face and following you whilst swimming underwater.

Greater Flamingo - One species of bird you may not have expected to come across is the flamingo. These birds are often found wading in saline lakes and feeding on the invertebrates that give the classic pink colour to their feathers.

Sally Lightfoot Crab - This brightly coloured crab is often found amongst the marine iguanas on the rocky coastlines of the islands.

Great Frigatebird - The frigatebirds are another fairly well known member of the islands. Both sexes have a patch of red skin at the throat that the male inflates to attract a mate.

White Tip Reef Shark - It's quite common to see this species of shark whilst snorkeling around the Galapagos islands. They can grow up to around six or seven feet in length but are seldom agressive unless provoked.

King Angelfish - There are over 450 species of fish around the islands making it one of the richest marine habitats in the world. The king angelfish is common to see when snorkeling around rocky areas and is very brightly coloured and distinctive.

The Galapagos Green Turtle - It's possible to see these turtles gliding slowly through the water or making their way on to land. At this time of year the females are tiring of the constant pursuit of the males and try to shake them off near the shore.

The Galapagos Tortoises - No Galapagos tour would be complete without visting the famous tortoises. Although Lonesome George is the most famous, Diego, an Espanola tortiose, came back to the Galapagos from San Diego zoo in the the 70s and is a real character. Diego is over 100 years old and has helped repopulate a whole island.

All images are the Copyright © of Jamie Malin 2010. All rights reserved.