Wildlife.blog

Marine iguanas nearly invisible against black lava rock on an Isabela shoreline under a dramatic sky

Dozens of iguanas blending into the volcanic rock

📍 Isla Isabela, Galápagos Islands Marine Iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus) The world’s only sea-going lizard, uniquely adapted to dive into cold Pacific currents and graze algae off submerged rocks — then bask on lava to reheat its dark, salt-crusted body. Abundant and year-round on Isla Isabela, where the island’s vast volcanic coastline provides prime basking and foraging habitat for some of the archipelago’s largest colonies. Wikipedia | iNaturalist | Galápagos Conservancy

Whitetip Reef Shark

Whitetip Reef Shark (Triaenodon obesus) One of the few shark species that can lie motionless on the bottom, pumping water over its gills instead of needing to swim to breathe. A year-round resident of the Galápagos archipelago, commonly found resting in caves and on sandy patches during the day before hunting reef fish at night. Wikipedia | iNaturalist

Sea Turtle

📍 Galápagos Islands Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas) The largest hard-shelled sea turtle in the world, named not for its shell but for the green colour of its body fat — tinted by an adult diet of seagrass and algae. Resident year-round in the Galápagos, where the archipelago’s nutrient-rich upwelling supports one of the Eastern Pacific’s most important nesting and foraging populations. Wikipedia | iNaturalist | SWOT Map

Blacktip reef shark gliding through murky water, dark fin tips visible against the haze

Blacktip Reef Shark, Galápagos Islands

Blacktip Reef Shark (Carcharhinus melanopterus) One of the most recognizable reef sharks thanks to the bold black markings on its fin tips, this small, shy species rarely exceeds 1.6 m and is harmless to humans. Common year-round in the shallow waters around the Galápagos archipelago, often spotted cruising lagoons and reef flats in small groups. Wikipedia | iNaturalist

Golden Pacific seahorse clinging to a submerged mangrove root on a murky seabed in Ecuador

Wild Seahorse Under a Mangrove Tree in Ecuador

Pacific Seahorse (Hippocampus ingens) The largest seahorse in the eastern Pacific, growing up to 30 cm — and one of the few species tough enough to thrive in the brackish, silty world beneath mangrove roots. Found year-round along Ecuador’s coast, but increasingly rare due to bycatch and habitat loss; listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN. Wikipedia | iNaturalist

Galápagos Prickly Pear

Galápagos Prickly Pear (Opuntia echios) The largest prickly pear in the world, growing tree-sized trunks up to 12 metres tall — an evolutionary arms race with giant tortoises and land iguanas that graze on the lower pads. Endemic to the Galápagos and found across most of the archipelago; its fruit and pads are a critical food source for tortoises, iguanas, finches, and mockingbirds alike. Wikipedia | iNaturalist

Pair of blue-footed boobies resting on dark volcanic rock at Los Túneles, lava channels and giant cacti behind them under overcast skies

Blue-Footed Booby, Los Túneles

Blue-Footed Booby (Sula nebouxii) Famous for their vivid turquoise feet — the brighter the blue, the healthier the bird, and mates choose accordingly. A year-round breeding resident of Isabela Island; Los Túneles is one of the best spots to see them nesting right on the lava. Wikipedia | iNaturalist | eBird

An adult Galápagos giant tortoise soaks chin-deep in a muddy highland wallow surrounded by lush green trees

Giant Tortoise, Galápagos Island

Galápagos Giant Tortoise (Chelonoidis porteri) The world’s largest living tortoise — dome-shelled adults can top 400 kg and live well past 100 years, and they love a good mud bath to cool down and shed parasites. Giant tortoises are resident year-round across the Galápagos archipelago; the highland wallows of Santa Cruz Island are one of the easiest places to watch them soak. Wikipedia | iNaturalist

A train of pack donkeys hauls colourful bundles up a dusty switchback on the Inca Trail with steep Andean peaks behind

Donkeys on the Inca Trail

Donkey (Equus asinus) Hardy, sure-footed, and unfazed by thin air — burros have worked Andean trails for centuries, carrying gear so trekkers don’t have to. Pack donkeys are a common sight year-round on the Inca Trail and throughout the Peruvian highlands, where they remain the preferred transport on paths too narrow or steep for vehicles. Wikipedia | iNaturalist

A llama grazes beside Inca stone ruins high above a steep green valley with snow-capped Andean peaks behind

More Llamas in the Andes

Llama (Lama glama) South America’s original beast of burden, domesticated from wild guanacos over 5,000 years ago — llamas carried supplies across the Inca road network and still wander freely among the ruins today. Llamas are found throughout the Andean highlands of Peru, Bolivia, and beyond, thriving year-round at elevations above 3,000 metres. Wikipedia | iNaturalist

Llamas lounging on the ancient terraces of Machu Picchu with Huayna Picchu towering behind them

Llamas at Machu Picchu

Llama (Lama glama) Domesticated from wild guanacos thousands of years ago, llamas were the Inca Empire’s primary pack animal — and a small herd still roams Machu Picchu’s terraces today, keeping the grass trimmed the old-fashioned way. A resident population lives year-round at the citadel, maintained by Peru’s Ministry of Culture as both a conservation nod and a living link to the site’s history. Wikipedia | iNaturalist

Two llamas graze on a green terrace at Machu Picchu with the jagged peak of Huayna Picchu towering behind them.

Llamas Deep in the Andes

Llama (Lama glama) Domesticated over 4,000 years ago in the Peruvian highlands, the llama is South America’s largest camelid and served as the primary pack animal of the Inca Empire. A small herd is kept year-round on the terraces of Machu Picchu, where they double as living lawnmowers that trim the grass without damaging the ancient stonework. Wikipedia | iNaturalist