Flora and fauna of the Galapagos Islands

The Galapagos Islands were declared World Heritage by UNESCO in 1978. This archipelago located in the Pacific Ocean, 1000 kilometers from the coasts of Ecuador, is made up of 13 large islands, 6 medium and 215 small islets.

We could say that the flora and fauna of Ecuador and its volcanic islandssince the Galapagos Islands belong to the Ecuadorian archipelago, they house:

• More than 500 species of native plants: Those that are originally from this region, in which they have grown and evolved.
• Nails 180 species of animals that are endemic: Unique of this corner of the planet.

Based on the numbers, the flora and fauna of Galapagos is immense. We can find species of animals and plants in the coastal and arid areas of the islands, as well as in wetlands and pampas. These different ecosystems are fragile, since they suffer the negative effects of climate change and many human actions that harm their flora and fauna.

Next, we discover the endemic species of the Galapagos Islandsstarting with plants.

Among the flora of Galapagos, that is, the Endemic plants of the Galapagos Islandwe can highlight the following species.

Cactaceae of the Galapagos Islands

Galapagos flora is characterized above all by these plants. Among the cacti that we can find in the arid regions of the islands appears the Candelabro cactus (Thouarsii Jasminocereus). It reaches seven meters high and is shaped like a tube with thorns. The lava cactus (Nesioticus brachycereus), Considered the smallest kind of cactus that lives in the Galapagos Islands.

You may be interested in taking a look at the following article on the types of cactus: names and care that exist.

Other plants of the Galapagos Islands

Within the flora of the island region we can also meet the following Galapagos plants:

• He Darwin cotton (gender Gossypiumdarwinii).
• The bushes of Robinsoniana Miconia: These Galapagos plants form a dense belt in wet areas.
• The daisy endemic (Pinnatifidus Lecocarpus): that grows in lava or ashes areas.
• He tomato of Galapagos (Solanum Cheesmaniae).
• The little bush called Lantana Peduncularis: white and yellow flowers.

In these images below you can observe the endemic plants of the Galapagos Islands in the order in which we have mentioned them.

We can find Animal species of the Galapagos Islands that are endemic Within the different groups of animals that inhabit the three natural media of the islands: land, fresh and ocean water.

Let’s put some examples to learn more about these animals that we can exclusively find in these islands of the Pacific Ocean.

Many of Mammals that we can find today in the Galapagos Islands have been introduced by man. However, we can still find some endemic species of the Galapagos Islandsamong which are:

The lion or Galapagos Marine Wolf (Zalophus Wollebaeki), with a total population of up to 50,000 copies that inhabit the volcanic coasts of the archipelago; and the fight people from the galapagos or Fine Wolves of Galapagos (Arcecephalus galapagoensis)nightclubs that feed in deep water and that generally do not migrate.

You may be interested in knowing the difference between seal, León Marino and Morsa, in the following Ecology Verde.

Immersing ourselves in the wonderful world of birds, we will find numerous Endemic bird species from Galapagos such as:

• He CORMER MANCÓN (Phalacrocorax Harrisi): Unusual bird that has lost the ability to fly.
• He Pingüino or Bobo Bird of the Galapagos (Spheniscus mendendulus): The only species of penguin that we can find inhabiting wildly in the northern hemisphere. Discover more about these animals in this other ecology article about where penguins live and what they feed on.

They also highlight the thirteen endemic species of Darwin’s pinzones, as well as the Pardo Pelican (Pelecanus Occidentalis Urinator) and the Campestre or Galapagos field owl (Asio Flammeus galapagoensis).

Now that you know some examples of flora and fauna of the island region, we will continue to see which endemic animals belong to the Galapagos Islands.

Maybe they are Galapagos turtles (gender Chelonoidis) the most representative reptiles of the Galapagos archipelago, but we know more examples of its emblematic reptiles.

Within the Iguanas group, we find the Marina iguana (Amblyrhynchus Cristatus), the only species of iguana in the world that obtains its food from the sea and the Earth iguana (gender Conolophus), which feeds on cactus from arid areas. They are very striking for the bright colors of their skin and because they are able to stay on their hind legs to reach flowers that are at a higher height on the earth.

On the other hand, the Lava lizard (Micropophus albembarlensis) It is smaller, with bright red and orange colors on your chest.

Do not hesitate to take a look at the following article on the types of reptiles, their characteristics and examples, here.

There are some 86 varieties of endemic fish (ichthyological fauna) that inhabit the waters of the Galapagos Islands. Among the cartilaginous fish, the cat shark (Bythaelurus Giddingsi)species that was discovered in 2012, so very little is known about it.

If you liked these unique species of Flora and fauna of the Galapagos Islandsyou may also want to discover the flora and fauna of the Falkland Islands.

If you want to read more articles similar to Flora and fauna of the Galapagos Islandswe recommend that you enter our category of ecosystems.