Tag Archives: Galapagos

Land Iguana Nibbling

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There are three types of land iguanas to be found in the Galapagos Islands which are considered to be endemic to the islands.

Land iguana – the land iguana is the most ubiquitous of the three species of land iguanas, and this is the type that you are probably most likely to see on your visit to the Galapagos Islands. Caught this iguana nibbling on a piece of fruit.

Land Iguana Nibbling

Galapagos Tortoise in the Wild

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Galapagos Tortoise in the Wild

Galapagos Tortoise in the Wild

The Galápagos tortoise or Galápagos giant tortoise is the largest living species of tortoise and 13th-heaviest living reptile, reaching weights of over 400 kg (880 lb.) and lengths of over 1.8 meters (5.9 ft). With life spans in the wild of over 100 years, it is one of the longest-lived vertebrates.

If you enlarge this image, the designs on the shell are interesting.

Galapagos Birds – Red-footed Booby with Brown Morph

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Galapagos Birds - Red-footed Booby with Brown Morph

Galapagos Birds – Red-footed Booby with Brown Morph

The brown morph of the red-footed booby is overall brown. The white-tailed brown morph is similar, but has a white belly, rump, and tail. The white-headed and white-tailed brown morph has a mostly white body, tail and head, and brown wings and back.

Galapagos Birds – Red-footed Booby Portrait

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Galapagos Birds - Red-footed Booby Portrait

Galapagos Birds – Red-footed Booby Portrait

Smallest of the boobies, the red-foot feeds at sea, nests on the ground, and perches in coastal trees. Red-footed boobies appear in a variety of color morphs but, of course, all have feet of the distinctive red color which gives them their name.

Galapagos Birds – Nazca Boobies

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Galapagos Birds - Nazca Boobies

Galapagos Birds – Nazca Boobies

Galapagos Birds - Nazca Booby Protecting her Egg

Galapagos Birds – Nazca Booby Protecting her Egg

Nazca Booby Birds are the largest of all the boobie birds on the Galapagos Islands.

Nazca Booby Birds lay two eggs, several days apart from which only one chick survives due to a practice called ‘obligatory sibling murdering’. In this process, one of the chicks displaces the other by taking most of the food, therefore growing faster. Once that has been achieved, the larger chick kicks the smallest and weakest chick out of the nest, leaving it to die of thirst or cold. The parent Nazca Booby Birds will not intervene and the younger chick will inevitably die.

It is believed that two eggs are laid so that one remains an insurance in case the other gets destroyed or eaten e.g. by gulls, or the chick dies soon after hatching.

Galapagos Tortoise

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Galapagos Tortoise

Galapagos Tortoise

The Galápagos tortoise or Galápagos giant tortoise is the largest living species of tortoise and 13th-heaviest living reptile, reaching weights of over 400 kg (880 lb) and lengths of over 1.8 meters (5.9 ft). With life spans in the wild of over 100 years, it is one of the longest-lived vertebrates.

Galapagos Birds – Blue-footed Booby

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Galapagos Birds - Blue-footed Booby

Galapagos Birds – Blue-footed Booby

The blue-footed booby is easily recognizable by its distinctive bright blue feet, which is a sexually selected trait. Males display their feet in an elaborate mating ritual by lifting their feet up and down while strutting before the female.

The name booby comes from the Spanish word bobo (‘stupid’, ‘fool’, or ‘clown’) because the Blue-footed Booby is, like other seabirds, clumsy on land. They are also regarded as foolish for their apparent fearlessness of humans.