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A small group of Galápagos penguins perched on jagged volcanic rock at the water's edge

Galápagos penguins on the lava shore

📍 Isla Isabela, Galápagos Islands Galápagos Penguin (Spheniscus mendiculus) The only penguin species found north of the equator, and the rarest penguin in the world — fewer than 2,000 remain, all within the Galápagos archipelago. Year-round residents of Isla Isabela, which hosts the majority of the global population thanks to the cold, nutrient-rich Cromwell Current that sweeps past the island’s western coast. Modeled range · iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 Wikipedia | iNaturalist | Range map | eBird

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) Their soot-black hide is near-perfect camouflage against the volcanic rock, and they pack onto the lava in such numbers that a whole colony can go unnoticed until one moves. 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. Modeled range · iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 Wikipedia | iNaturalist | Range map | Galápagos Conservancy

Whitetip reef shark resting on the sandy seabed beside a rocky outcrop

Whitetip reef shark

📍 Galápagos Islands 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. Modeled range · iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 Wikipedia | iNaturalist | Range map

A green sea turtle glides over algae-covered rocks in the shallow turquoise waters of the Galápagos

Green sea turtle, Galápagos

📍 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 color 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. Modeled range · iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 Wikipedia | iNaturalist | Range map | SWOT Map

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

Blacktip reef shark, Galápagos Islands

📍 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. Modeled range · iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 Wikipedia | iNaturalist | Range map

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

Wild seahorse under a mangrove tree in Ecuador

📍 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. Modeled range · iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 Wikipedia | iNaturalist | Range map

Tall Galápagos prickly pear cactus with a thick woody trunk rising from black lava rock beside a tidal lagoon, more cacti dotting the volcanic landscape under overcast skies

Galápagos prickly pear

📍 Galápagos Islands Galápagos Prickly Pear (Opuntia echios) The largest prickly pear in the world, growing tree-sized trunks up to 12 meters 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

📍 Los Túneles, Isla Isabela Blue-footed Booby (Sula nebouxii) Their vivid turquoise feet double as a health report: the brighter the blue, the better-fed 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. Modeled range · iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 Wikipedia | iNaturalist | Range map | eBird

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

Giant tortoise, Galápagos

📍 Galápagos Islands 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 | Range map

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

Donkeys on the Inca Trail

📍 Inca Trail, Peru 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. Modeled range · iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 Wikipedia | iNaturalist | Range map

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

More llamas in the Andes

📍 Andes, Peru Llama (Lama glama) Llamas were bred from the wild guanaco over 5,000 years ago, one of the earliest large animals domesticated anywhere in the Americas and the only one South America produced for carrying loads. They are found throughout the Andean highlands of Peru, Bolivia, and beyond, thriving year-round at elevations above 3,000 meters. Modeled range · iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 Wikipedia | iNaturalist | Range map

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

Llamas at Machu Picchu

📍 Machu Picchu, Peru Llama (Lama glama) As the Inca Empire’s primary pack animal, llamas hauled goods across a road network that stretched thousands of miles through the Andes, sustaining an empire that never used the wheel. 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. Modeled range · iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 Wikipedia | iNaturalist | Range map