Galápagos sea lions are easy to find. You just have to go to the Galápagos Islands. We not only encountered them on land on each of the islands we visited, we also had the opportunity to swim with them every afternoon. This little guy was just learning how to use those flippers to move across the volcanic rock of Santiago Island. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 220mm), ISO 400, f/6.3 at 1/640th of a second.

There are many species of rain frog in the cloud forests of South America. I’m not sure which species this is. All I can say is he/she was a tiny little thing we encountered on a nocturnal spotlighting walk in Ecuador. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 105mm macro lens, ISO 200, f/14 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-900 flash units.

Nothing says Galápagos Islands quite like the blue-footed booby. Well, maybe the Darwin Finch. Or the giant tortoise. Or the Galápagos sea lion. They all make the Galápagos such a great place to visit. Incidentally, those blue feet have a purpose. They are a sexually selected trait. The males strut in front of the females lifting their feet up and down in an elaborate ritual. The best, bluest feet win the prize and pass that sexy blueness on to their offspring. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 280mm) ISO 400, f/8 at 1/2000th of a second.

Usually I like to see the heads of my wildlife subjects, but in this case I made an exception. This is an American flamingo, photographed in the Galápagos Islands. It’s the only flamingo with a natural range that includes both North America and the Neotropical realm. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/1600th of a second.

This image gets a little closer to showing a Galápagos giant tortoise in perspective. These guys are really big, weighing in at over 500 pounds. Photographed in the Santa Cruz highlands. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/8 at 1/160th of a second.

This is actually a Pacific green sea turtle, but that barnacle really picked a conspicuous spot to latch onto. Unfortunately for the turtle (or maybe not) barnacles never move once they attach to a hard surface. You can’t tell from this photo, but there’s a second turtle just under the water and the two were mating. Photographed off Isabella Island in the Galápagos Islands of Ecuador. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 280mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/3200th of a second.

Not really sure who this guy is but he/she was giving me a pretty intense stare down late one afternoon while I was hiking in the cloud forest of Ecuador. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 360mm) ISO 3200, f/4 at 1/30th of a second.

One of the things that makes the Galápagos Islands such a fun place to visit is the curiosity of many of its wild residents. This Nazca booby greeted us as soon as we set foot on Genovesa Island. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 19mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/6400th of a second.