The ever-playful and graceful Galapagos Sea Lion - this one is blowing bubbles just a few inches in front of me
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Galapagos fishlife - diverse, colorful, beautiful,
and ever so interesting
and ever so interesting
School of Yellow-Tailed Surgeonfish - notice the 3 scalpel-like spines at the base of the tail.
Moorish Idol - Beautiful resident of the tropics
|
As is the King Angelfish
|
The Hieroglyphic Hawkfish - A most descriptive name
The Stone Scorpionfish - Very cryptic and quite venomous
|
|
Bluechin (L) and Bicolor (R) Parrotfish. In many parrotfish and wrasse species have an interesting behavior; when a breeding male goes missing for whatever reason, the largest female then changes sex and becomes a breeding male and given the name "supermale" or "terminal phase" male.
Above, A Bumphead Parrotfish (L) swimming with a Mexican Hogfish (R), a member of the wrasse family; there is a Yellow-Tailed Surgeonfish in the right foreground and a small Rainbow Wrasse above the parrotfish.
|
|
The terminal phase Rainbow Wrasse (above left) is small but quite beautiful as is the Spinster Wrasse (R)
|
|
Above, there are several pufferfish species in the Galapagos. The Guineafowl Pufferfish comes in 2 "flavors"
or morphs, black and white (L) and golden (R); there are also in-between phases (below)
or morphs, black and white (L) and golden (R); there are also in-between phases (below)
|
|
|
|
Other puffers include the Spotted Boxfish (above) and, below the Balloonfish (L) and Burrfish (R).
|
|
A seldom found fish is the Leopard (sometimes called Speckled) Flounder. This is a flatfish, similar to halibut, sole, sand dabs, etc. They are bottom dwellers and live most of their lives on one side, either left or right. This dominant side is specific to the species. The flounder here is a leftside fish; the open mouth is on the left and (caudal) tail fin is seen on the right. Flatfish undergo an amazing metamorphosis between their larval and juvenile phases, where one eye will migrate to the dominant (upper) side, so that in this case both eyes will be on the left, as can be seen.
|
|
Two very distinctive fish often encountered in the Galapagos are the Yellow-Bellied Triggerfish (L)
and the blue iridescent -spotted juvenile Giant Damselfish (R).
and the blue iridescent -spotted juvenile Giant Damselfish (R).
|
|
If one is careful, it is possible to get close approaches to blennies along the bottom, including the Bravo Clinid (L).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What's that fish on the reef with the bright shiny teeth? - That's a moray. Corny but unforgettable, even if you try. And yes, eels are fish; they are not snake-like reptilians. The images below are of a Jeweled Moray (L) and a Zebra Moray (R).
|
|
If you get the chance to snorkel in the deep blue (the open ocean), the possibilities open up, including a school of Steel Pompano (L) and a Galapagos Seahorse (R).
|
|
Yes sharks are fish too. They're in a group with rays called cartilaginous fish (as opposed to bony fish). The White-Tipped Reef Shark (virtually harmless to us unless seriously threatened) is found throughout the Galapagos.
Spotted Eagle Rays are incredibly beautiful, and a careful snorkeler can sometimes get the chance to follow them at a distance and get a shot that fills the frame, sometimes overfilling it.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cow-Nosed Rays (also called Golden or Mustard Rays) often travel in schools, on or near the surface. There is usually a chance during a dinghy (called a panga) ride, to get fairly close, and with the engines off and everyone quiet, great photo ops can be had.
|
|
And then there's the common Diamond Sting Rays, either on the bottom or swimming out in the open.
The stinger can be seen on the above photo at the base of the tail fin.
The stinger can be seen on the above photo at the base of the tail fin.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE INVERTEBRATE WORLD
Beautiful Galapagos sea stars - they come in all sizes, shapes, and flavors
The one on the left is called the chocolate chip sea star; definitely more fun to say
than its scientific name, Nidorellia armata
than its scientific name, Nidorellia armata
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This octopus is not blending in with the perfection that it is usually capable of
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
They don't get much prettier than this Panamic Horse Conch