The Galapagos Marine Reserve is 133,000 square kilometres and was set up in 1998 to protect the waters around the Galapagos Islands and the many species of animals and fish that live there. There are so many marine species in Galapagos because of the cold ocean currents that bring rich nutrients for food, and the great variety of habitats: coral reefs, mangrove lagoons, rocky areas and sandy beaches. Many other species depend on the Galapagos marine life for their food, such as sea birds that eat fish, and the marine iguanas that feed on algae growing on the bottom of the sea.

WHALES AND DOLPHINS

Dolphins and whales are warm blooded and they breathe air like other mammals do (including humans!). Sharks and other fish are cold-blooded and do not breathe air. There are two groups of whales and dolphins that live in the waters around the Galapagos Islands:

1. Baleen whales
2. Toothed whales and dolphins

Baleen whales feed by filtering plankton from the water through huge net-like plates in their mouth instead of teeth. Examples of these whales include humpback, minke, sei and Brydes whales. The toothed group includes bottle-nosed dolphins, (which often ride on the bow wave of boats), the common or white-bellied dolphins, Rissos, spotted and spinner dolphins, sperm whales, pilot whales and orca or killer whales.

SEA TURTLES

Green turtles are the only species of turtle that lives in the Galapagos Islands, although the hawksbill and leatherback turtles are sometimes seen there. Green turtles feed mainly on seaweed and jellyfish, and weigh about 50 to 100 kilograms, although they can reach up to 150 kilograms. The females lay as many as 80 eggs at a time in the sand, and the little turtle hatchlings are often preyed upon by birds and wild animals such as dogs and pigs, as they leave their nest, before they reach safety in the open water.

FISH

There are over 450 species of fish in the Galapagos Islands, and about 17% of these are endemic (not found anywhere else in the world). There are 2 main groups of fish:

1. They have skeletons made of cartilage (rays and sharks)
2. They have bony skeletons

Sharks that are found in Galapagos:

• Reef white-tip
• Reef black-tip
• Scalloped hammerhead
• Galapagos shark

Rays that are found in Galapagos:

• Sting rays
• Eagle rays
• Golden rays
• Manta rays

There are many bony fish (the group that has a bony skeleton) that live in the Galapagos Islands, including:
damselfish, wrasses, blennies, gobies, king angelfish, Moorish idol, butterflyfish, parrotfish, yellow-tailed surgeonfish, snappers, jacks, hawkfish, triggerfish, squirrelfish, lizardfish, and pufferfish.

There are at least 16 species of moray eels in Galapagos, and also garden eels, trumpetfish and pipefish (which are related to the sea horse). There are mullet, tuna and bonito which are caught in large numbers by fisherman, and also flying fish which can be seen leaping out of the water to escape from predators. Other types of marine life found in Galapagos include:

• Crabs, shrimps and lobsters
• Sea shells, sea slugs, squids and octopuses
• Sea urchins, starfishes and sea cucumbers
• Corals, anenomes and jellyfish
• Sponges, seaweed, algae and worms

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