Galapagos Islands Wildlife: Mammals
Galapagos sea lion is probably the most famous and easily viewed. Friendly and used to people, it is common to see sea lions basking in the sun a pleasant, lying on a wall or bench in the city as if it is completely natural.
Apart from the Galapagos sea lion, Galapagos fur seals there, endemic to the islands. Galapagos fur seals are much smaller than sea lions and will be visible with easy access to deep water on rocky cliffs. The waters around the island also is home to many species of whales:, Minke Bryde, Humpback, Sperm and shortfin pilot whale. In addition Orca, bottle-nosed dolphins and common can be seen.
There are few land mammals here compared to the amount of land birds in the Galapagos: the three species of rodents and two species of bats. This is because mammals can not survive long without water and so many native animals are blown to the islands in and among the floating vegetation, sweeping out from the mainland by flooding rivers, did not survive the journey more than 600 miles. Instead it is a reptile that survived the trip, explaining a large number of those who still inhabit the island.
Galapagos Islands are easily accessible by plane from Guayaquil and Quito airport, international, and thus can easily be combined with a trip to mainland Ecuador or indeed other parts of South America.
