Home›Species›Ecosystem›GalapagosEcosystemGalapagosMarine and Coral ReefReference and ClassificationThoroughly VerifiedA volcanic archipelago roughly 1,000 kilometers off the coast of Ecuador, straddling the equator at the meeting point of the cold Humboldt and Cromwell currents and the warm Panama current, a collision that produces an unusual mix of tropical and cold water species side by side. The extreme isolation of the islands produced marine iguanas found nowhere else, giant tortoises for which the archipelago is named, and the finches whose varied beaks helped lead the young naturalist Charles Darwin toward the theory of natural selection following his 1835 visit. Now an Ecuadorian national park and one of the largest marine reserves on Earth, the islands remain a living laboratory for evolutionary biology.FactsGalapagosConnectionsIn the Other AtlasesSourcesTake a Related QuizComments (0)Reader Challenges (0)FactsClassificationBiogeographic RealmWell-attestedNeotropic 1Protected StatusWell-attestedStrictly Protected 1Area (sq km)Well-attested8010 1GalapagosFilter Results16 entriesCommon GroupAllCarnations And Cacti (Caryophyllales) (1)Crabs (1)Herons, Egrets And Allies (1)Kingfishers And Allies (1)Lizards (Lacertilia) (1)Mints, Nightshades And Allies (Lamiales/Solanales) (1)Other Bony Fish (1)Penguins And Seabirds (4)Perch-Like Fishes (Perciformes) (1)Sharks, Rays And Chimaeras (1)Turtles And Tortoises (Testudines) (1)TaxonomyAllCactaceae (1)Chelonoidis (1)Chondrichthyes (1)Coraciiformes (1)Decapoda (1)Iguanidae (1)Lantana (1)Pelecaniformes (2)Perciformes (1)Physeteridae (1)Rodentia (1)Spheniscidae (1)Suliformes (2)Tetraodontiformes (1)HabitatAllChaparral (1)Desert (1)Intertidal Zone (2)Lake (1)Marine (4)Open Ocean (2)River (2)Salt Marsh (1)Conservation StatusAllData Deficient (1)Endangered (1)Least Concern (8)Not Evaluated (3)Vulnerable (2)Everyday GroupAllCarnations And Cacti (Caryophyllales) (1)Crabs (1)Herons, Egrets And Allies (1)Kingfishers And Allies (1)Lizards (Lacertilia) (1)Mints, Nightshades And Allies (Lamiales/Solanales) (1)Other Bony Fish (1)Penguins And Seabirds (4)Perch-Like Fishes (Perciformes) (1)Sharks, Rays And Chimaeras (1)Turtles And Tortoises (Testudines) (1)DietAllCarnivore (5)Detritivore or Scavenger (1)Herbivore (2)Omnivore (1)Photosynthetic Autotroph (2)Piscivore (5)System (Realm)AllFreshwater (3)Marine (11)Terrestrial (9)ThreatsAllInvasive and Other Problematic Species, Genes and Diseases (1)Relationship to PeopleAllAgricultural or Structural Pest (3)Ecotourism and Research (2)Hunted or Fished (6)Invasive or Introduced Species (1)Kept as Pets (2)No Significant Interaction with Humans (1)Living or ExtinctAllYes (14)Where It LivesAllAfghanistan (1)Africa (2)Albania (1)Angola (2)Antarctica (1)Antigua and Barbuda (2)Argentina (2)Australia (5)Austria (1)Bahamas (2)Bahrain (1)Bangladesh (2)Barbados (1)Belgium (1)Belize (2)Benin (1)Bosnia and Herzegovina (1)Brazil (4)Brunei (1)Cabo Verde (1)Cameroon (1)Canada (2)Chile (2)China (1)Colombia (10)Costa Rica (2)Cote d'Ivoire (1)Cuba (2)Cyprus (1)Democratic Republic of the Congo (1)Denmark (2)Djibouti (1)Dominica (1)Dominican Republic (2)East Africa (1)Ecuador (10)El Salvador (1)Equatorial Guinea (1)Eritrea (1)Federated States of Micronesia (1)Fiji (2)Greece (1)Grenada (1)Guatemala (2)Guinea (1)Guyana (2)Haiti (2)Honduras (2)India (1)Ireland (1)Italy (1)Jamaica (1)Kenya (1)Madagascar (1)Mexico (2)Nauru (1)Nepal (1)New Zealand (2)Nicaragua (1)North America (6)Norway (7)Republic of the Congo (1)Serbia (1)Seychelles (1)Singapore (1)South Africa (2)South America (8)South Asia (1)Spain (2)Sri Lanka (1)Taiwan (1)Tonga (1)United Arab Emirates (3)United Kingdom (2)United States (3)Uruguay (1)Venezuela (6)Western Sahara (1)Show ResultsBrowseCompareSelect all 16Belted KingfisherGalapagosBlack RatGalapagosBlue-footed BoobyGalapagosBrown PelicanGalapagosGalapagos PenguinGalapagosGalapagos TortoiseGalapagosGiant sunfishGalapagosGreat Blue HeronGalapagosLantana CamaraGalapagosLava cactusGalapagosMagnificent FrigatebirdGalapagosMarine IguanaGalapagosPrickly sharkGalapagosSally Lightfoot CrabGalapagosSperm WhaleGalapagosYellowfin TunaGalapagosConnectionsDemonstratesEl Nino-Southern Oscillation, Natural Phenomena Well-attested Strong El Nino events sharply warm the waters around the Galapagos, collapsing the cold-water upwelling the food web depends on; marine iguana and Galapagos penguin populations are documented to crash during major episodes (1982-83, 1997-98), making Galapagos one of the most closely studied real-world demonstrations of ENSO's ecological effect.Source National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrationtier 1Natural Selection, Natural Phenomena Well-attested Source Encyclopaedia Britannicatier 1HostsBelted Kingfisher, Species Well-attested Source Belted kingfisher, WikipediaBlack Rat, Species Well-attested Source Black Rat (Wikipedia)tier 2Blue-footed Booby, Species Well-attested Source World Wildlife FundBrown Pelican, Species Well-attested Source Brown Pelican (Wikipedia)tier 2Galapagos Penguin, Species Well-attested Source Wikipedia: Galapagos Penguintier 2Galapagos Tortoise, Species Well-attested Source World Wildlife FundGiant sunfish, Species Well-attested Source Giant sunfish (Wikipedia)Great Blue Heron, Species Well-attested Source Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Ardea herodias (Animal Diversity Web)Lantana Camara, Species Well-attested Source Lantana camara (Wikipedia)tier 2Lava cactus, Species Well-attested Source Wikidata: Lava cactusAdditional Source Galápagos Islands (Wikipedia)Article textMagnificent Frigatebird, Species Well-attested Source Magnificent Frigatebird (Wikipedia)tier 2Marine Iguana, Species Well-attested Source World Wildlife FundPrickly shark, Species Well-attested Source Prickly shark (Wikipedia)Sally Lightfoot Crab, Species Well-attested Source Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Animal Diversity Web: Grapsus grapsusSperm Whale, Species Well-attested Source Sperm Whale (Wikipedia)tier 2Yellowfin Tuna, Species Well-attested Source Wikipedia: Yellowfin Tunatier 2In BiomeMarine, Biomes Well-attested Source World Wildlife FundIn the Other AtlasesFound InEcuadorAlso in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.Sources1. Encyclopaedia Britannicatier 1Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.britannica.com/place/Galapagos-Islands, land area sentenceTheir total land area of 3,093 square miles (8,010 square km) is scattered over 23,000 square miles (59,500 square km) of ocean.Biogeographic realm: neotropic (derived from location stated in entity description)Protected status (stated plainly in the entity own recorded description)Now an Ecuadorian national park and one of the largest marine reserves on Earth, the islands remain a living laboratory for evolutionary biology.Demonstrates: Natural SelectionView the SourceNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrationtier 1National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationDemonstrates: El Nino-Southern OscillationView the SourceWorld Wildlife FundWorld Wildlife FundIn Biome: MarineHosts: Galapagos TortoiseHosts: Marine IguanaHosts: Blue-footed BoobyView the SourceBrown Pelican (Wikipedia)tier 2WikipediaHosts: Brown Pelican, article text (ecosystem), EntityId 279941, target E16326Quote, Hosts: Brown Pelican, article text (ecosystem), EntityId 279941, target E16326It is found on the Atlantic Coast from New Jersey to the mouth of the Amazon River, and along the Pacific Coast from British Columbia to Peru, including the Galapagos Islands.View the SourceMagnificent Frigatebird (Wikipedia)tier 2Wikimedia FoundationHosts: Magnificent Frigatebird, article text (ecosystem), EntityId 279925, target E16326Quote, Hosts: Magnificent Frigatebird, article text (ecosystem), EntityId 279925, target E16326There are also populations on the Galápagos Islands in the Pacific and the Cape Verde islands in the Atlantic.View the SourceWikipedia: Galapagos Penguintier 2WikipediaHosts: Galapagos Penguin, article text (ecosystem), EntityId 346042, target E16326Quote, Hosts: Galapagos Penguin, article text (ecosystem), EntityId 346042, target E16326 The Galápagos penguin (Spheniscus mendiculus) is a penguin endemic to the Galápagos Islands of Ecuador.View the SourceSperm Whale (Wikipedia)tier 2Wikimedia FoundationHosts: Sperm Whale, Life cycleQuote, Hosts: Sperm Whale, Life cycleAs if to support this, aggression between male sperm whales is rare within breeding grounds; only one case of male-male aggression was recorded over 11 years in a 40-year study around the Galapagos Islands, and no aggression was reported in a similar 20-year study off the Dominican Republic.View the SourceWikipedia: Yellowfin Tunatier 2WikipediaHosts: Yellowfin Tuna, Pole and lineQuote, Hosts: Yellowfin Tuna, Pole and lineThe most well-known fleet of pole-and-line boats sailed from San Diego in California and exploited abundant stocks in Mexican waters, as well as further south to Panama, Costa Rica and the Galapagos Islands.View the SourceBelted kingfisher, WikipediaHosts: Belted Kingfisher, Distribution and habitatQuote, Hosts: Belted Kingfisher, Distribution and habitatThe southernmost records of M. alcyon are from the Galapagos Archipelago, insular Ecuador, where it occurs as a migrant in small numbers but apparently not every year.View the SourceBlack Rat (Wikipedia)tier 2WikipediaHosts: Black Rat, Complex pestQuote, Hosts: Black Rat, Complex pestThis has led to the black rat completely displacing many native species in Madagascar, the Galapagos, and the Florida Keys.View the SourceLantana camara (Wikipedia)tier 2WikipediaHosts: Lantana Camara, Distribution and habitatQuote, Hosts: Lantana Camara, Distribution and habitatThe range of L. camara is still increasing, shown by the fact that it has invaded many islands on which it was not present in 1974, including the Galapagos Islands, Saipan and the Solomon Islands.View the SourceGiant sunfish (Wikipedia)Hosts: Giant sunfish, Economic importance for humansQuote, Hosts: Giant sunfish, Economic importance for humansIn locations like the Galapagos Islands and the Alboran Coast in the Mediterranean, sunfish are spotted frequently enough to have sunfish tours.View the SourcePrickly shark (Wikipedia)Hosts: Prickly shark, Distribution and habitatQuote, Hosts: Prickly shark, Distribution and habitatIn the eastern Pacific, it is known to occur from Oregon to El Salvador (including the Gulf of California), around the Cocos and Galapagos Islands, and off Peru and Chile.View the SourceGalápagos Islands (Wikipedia)Hosts: Lava cactus, Article textQuote, Hosts: Lava cactus, Article textTwo endemic genera of cacti, each with a single species: Jasminocereus thouarsii, the candelabra cactus, and Brachycereus nesioticus, the lava cactusView the SourceAnimal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Ardea herodias (Animal Diversity Web)Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of ZoologyHosts: Great Blue Heron, Geographic RangeQuote, Hosts: Great Blue Heron, Geographic RangeDuring the spring and summer, they breed throughout North and Central America, the Caribbean, southern Canada and the Galapagos.View the SourceAnimal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Animal Diversity Web: Grapsus grapsusAnimal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of ZoologyHosts: Sally Lightfoot Crab, Geographic RangeQuote, Hosts: Sally Lightfoot Crab, Geographic RangeThey are most commonly found in coastal areas of Baja, California, from Mexico to Peru, Ecuador, the Caribbean, Brazil, Florida, and the Galapagos Islands.View the SourceTake a Related QuizWetlands, Reefs and Deltas: New EcosystemsCovers this kind of entry.Comments (0)No comments yet. 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