Nothing quite says Happy Valentine’s Day like a pair of smitten marine iguanas. These handsome lovers were photographed on La Fe Island, a tiny speck of volcanic rock in the Galapagos archipelago of Ecuador.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 350mm) ISO 800, f/5 at 1/800th of a second

Few wildlife moments were as fun for me as swimming with and photographing sea lions in the Galápagos Islands. Their natural curiosity and playful nature was apparent as they’d swim up to my snorkel mask then dive below me, only to circle back around to get another look. They were also constantly playing with each other, synchronized swimming, chasing each another and occasionally giving a muzzle to muzzle tap. These two were photographed just off Rabida Island in the Galápagos. We swam with sea lions almost every afternoon, and this was the only location with this reddish sand on the sea floor. Most everywhere else was green with algae over volcanic rock and coral. That said, Rabida provided an interesting color palette between the red sand and the turquoise water at such a shallow depth.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) Ikelite Underwater housing with 8 inch dome port, ISO 800, f/9 at 1/400th of a second

I’ve posted several photos of the Galápagos marine iguana in the past. This is the Galápagos land iguana. Unlike the black marine iguanas, the land iguanas are a bright orangish yellow. They are also a bit bigger than than their amphibious cousins. As the name suggests, these guys stick to terra firma and enjoy basking in the Equatorial sunshine. Land iguanas aren’t as widespread through the Galápagos archipelago as marine iguanas but can still be found on several of the islands. I came across this guy as he was trucking along the volcanic gravel of Isabela Island.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/2500th of a second

I’m not sure exactly what these two giant tortoises were discussing, but it did appear that the one on the left wasn’t having a very good day. Photographed in the Santa Cruz highlands on Santa Cruz Island in the Galapagos Islands of Ecuador.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 28mm) ISO 800, f/14 at 1/320th of a second

Last week I posted a stingray from La Fe Island in the Galapagos. Here are two more of the diminutive island’s locals — a Sally Lightfoot crab having a bit of a conversation with a marine iguana. Both of these species can be found in abundance on pretty much all of the islands in the Galapagos Archipelago.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/7.1 at 1/640th of a second

It was nice to get the camera underwater while in the Galapagos Islands. I didn’t do anything more than snorkeling, but still, there were plenty of large subjects around that were easy enough to photograph while holding my breath on a quick dive down. Stingrays were particularly active in the shallow waters surrounding the islands, sometimes looking as if they were floating in air. This stingray was doing its thing just off the small island of Le Fe. We took a half day trip to the island and had it to ourselves — along with the sea lions, stingrays, marine iguanas and an assortment of birds.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) Ikelite Housing and dome port, ISO 800, f/11 at 1/1000th of a second

A shaft of late afternoon light lit up this sea turtle’s face as she was attempting to make little sea turtles with that barnacle-nosed guy back behind her. We weren’t far from the coast of Isabella Island in the Galapagos Islands of Ecuador.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/1000th of a second

Tayras are pretty cool creatures. They kind of look like otters that live in trees in the rainforest. Like otters, they are in the mustelid family. This tayra — photographed in the cloud forest of Ecuador — had the good fortune to stumble upon a big pile of bananas, giving me the chance to grab a few quick shots.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 3200, f/4 at 1/160th of a second

Hermits are pretty cool looking hummingbirds, with their fancy tails and curved bills. In this case, a white-whiskered hermit that I found flitting around in the Ecuadorian cloud forest.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 310mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/1600th of a second, Nikon SB-900 flash

Actually, these marine iguanas were resting in the sun and weren’t even moving, but it looked like they were on the attack and storming that small hill on Fernandina Island in the Galapagos Islands.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 400, f/16 at 1/250th of a second