Photos of the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

Galapagos Islands Stock Photos by Professional Photographer Phillip Colla. Galapagos Islands stock photography.

A whale shark swims through the open ocean in the Galapagos Islands.  The whale shark is the largest shark on Earth, but is harmless eating plankton and small fish, Rhincodon typus, Darwin Island
A whale shark swims through the open ocean in the Galapagos Islands. The whale shark is the largest shark on Earth, but is harmless eating plankton and small fish.
Galapagos shark swims over a reef in the Galapagos Islands, with schooling fish in the distance, Carcharhinus galapagensis, Wolf Island
Galapagos shark swims over a reef in the Galapagos Islands, with schooling fish in the distance.
Scalloped hammerhead shark swims over a reef in the Galapagos Islands.  The hammerheads eyes and other sensor organs are placed far apart on its wide head to give the shark greater ability to sense the location of prey, Sphyrna lewini, Wolf Island
Scalloped hammerhead shark swims over a reef in the Galapagos Islands. The hammerheads eyes and other sensor organs are placed far apart on its wide head to give the shark greater ability to sense the location of prey.
Galapagos sea lion pup, Punta Espinosa, Zalophus californianus wollebacki, Zalophus californianus wollebaeki, Fernandina Island
Galapagos sea lion pup, Punta Espinosa.
Bigeye trevally jacks, motion blur, schooling, Caranx sexfasciatus, Darwin Island
Bigeye trevally jacks, motion blur, schooling.
Galapagos penguin, underwater, swimming.  Bartolome Island, Spheniscus mendiculus
Galapagos penguin, underwater, swimming. Bartolome Island.
Magnificent frigatebird, adult male on nest, with throat pouch inflated, a courtship display to attract females, Fregata magnificens, North Seymour Island
Magnificent frigatebird, adult male on nest, with throat pouch inflated, a courtship display to attract females.
Hammerhead sharks swim in a school underwater at Wolf Island in the Galapagos archipelago.  The hammerheads eyes and other sensor organs are placed far apart on its wide head to give the shark greater ability to sense the location of prey, Sphyrna lewini
Hammerhead sharks swim in a school underwater at Wolf Island in the Galapagos archipelago. The hammerheads eyes and other sensor organs are placed far apart on its wide head to give the shark greater ability to sense the location of prey.
Magnificent frigatebird, adult female on nest, Fregata magnificens, North Seymour Island
Magnificent frigatebird, adult female on nest.
Hammerhead sharks, schooling over sand, Darwin Island, Galapagos, Sphyrna lewini
Hammerhead sharks, schooling over sand, Darwin Island, Galapagos.
Nazca booby in flight, Sula granti, Wolf Island
Nazca booby in flight.
Galapagos sea lion playing with puffer fish, Zalophus californianus wollebacki, Zalophus californianus wollebaeki, Cousins
Galapagos sea lion playing with puffer fish.
Darwin's Arch, a dramatic 50-foot tall natural lava arch, rises above the ocean a short distance offshore of Darwin Island. On June 10, 2021, Darwin's Arch broke and fell into the ocean, leaving behind two partial pillars
Darwin's Arch, a dramatic 50-foot tall natural lava arch, rises above the ocean a short distance offshore of Darwin Island. On June 10, 2021, Darwin's Arch broke and fell into the ocean, leaving behind two partial pillars.
Marine iguana, underwater, forages for green algae that grows on the lava reef, Amblyrhynchus cristatus, Bartolome Island
Marine iguana, underwater, forages for green algae that grows on the lava reef.
Galapagos shark, Carcharhinus galapagensis, Wolf Island
Galapagos shark.
Galapagos sea lion on volcanic rocks, sunset, Zalophus californianus wollebacki, Zalophus californianus wollebaeki, Isla Lobos
Galapagos sea lion on volcanic rocks, sunset.
Galapagos fur seal,  Darwin Island, Arctocephalus galapagoensis
Galapagos fur seal, Darwin Island.
Whale shark, Rhincodon typus, Darwin Island
Whale shark.
Galapagos sea lion playing with puffer fish, Zalophus californianus wollebacki, Zalophus californianus wollebaeki, Cousins
Galapagos sea lion playing with puffer fish.
Galapagos sea lion, Zalophus californianus wollebacki, Zalophus californianus wollebaeki, Sombrero Chino
Galapagos sea lion.
Coral hawkfish, Cirrhitichthys oxycephalus, Wolf Island
Coral hawkfish.
Stone scorpionfish, Scorpaena mystes, Wolf Island
Stone scorpionfish.
Blue-footed booby, courtship display, Sula nebouxii, North Seymour Island
Blue-footed booby, courtship display.
Sally Lightfoot crab, Grapsus grapsus
Sally Lightfoot crab.
Galapagos penguin at sunset, Spheniscus mendiculus, Bartolome Island
Galapagos penguin at sunset.
Hammerhead sharks, schooling, Sphyrna lewini, Wolf Island
Hammerhead sharks, schooling.
Schooling fish, Albany, James Island
Schooling fish, Albany.
Magnificent frigatebird (note blue eye ring), juvenile, Fregata magnificens, North Seymour Island
Magnificent frigatebird (note blue eye ring), juvenile.
Magnificent frigatebird, adult male on nest, with raised wings and throat pouch inflated in a courtship display to attract females, Fregata magnificens, North Seymour Island
Magnificent frigatebird, adult male on nest, with raised wings and throat pouch inflated in a courtship display to attract females.
Galapagos fur seal,  Darwin Island, Arctocephalus galapagoensis
Galapagos fur seal, Darwin Island.
Galapagos sea lion, adult male, Zalophus californianus wollebacki, Zalophus californianus wollebaeki, Darwin Island
Galapagos sea lion, adult male.
Galapagos sea lion blows a bubble, Zalophus californianus wollebacki, Zalophus californianus wollebaeki, Isla Lobos
Galapagos sea lion blows a bubble.
Galapagos sea lion, Punta Espinosa, Zalophus californianus wollebacki, Zalophus californianus wollebaeki, Fernandina Island
Galapagos sea lion, Punta Espinosa.
Brown pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis
Brown pelican.
Greater flamingo, Phoenicopterus ruber, Floreana Island
Greater flamingo.
Scalloped hammerhead shark, Sphyrna lewini, Darwin Island
Scalloped hammerhead shark.
Orange cup coral, Tubastrea coccinea, Isla Champion
Orange cup coral.
Flightless cormorant.  In the absence of predators and thus not needing to fly, the flightless cormorants wings have degenerated to the point that it has lost the ability to fly, however it can swim superbly and is a capable underwater hunter.  Punta Albemarle, Nannopterum harrisi, Phalacrocorax harrisi, Isabella Island
Flightless cormorant. In the absence of predators and thus not needing to fly, the flightless cormorants wings have degenerated to the point that it has lost the ability to fly, however it can swim superbly and is a capable underwater hunter. Punta Albemarle.
Scalloped hammerhead shark, black and white / grainy, Sphyrna lewini, Wolf Island
Scalloped hammerhead shark, black and white / grainy.
Bigeye trevally jacks, schooling, Caranx sexfasciatus, Darwin Island
Bigeye trevally jacks, schooling.
Black coral.  The fan is five feet in diameter and the color of the live coral is more yellow-green than black, Antipathidae, Cousins
Black coral. The fan is five feet in diameter and the color of the live coral is more yellow-green than black.
Black coral, Antipathidae, Isla Champion
Black coral.
Brown pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis, North Seymour Island
Brown pelican.
Darwin Island, with Darwins Arch on the right.  Darwin Island is the northernmost of the Galapagos Islands and is home to enormous numbers of seabirds
Darwin Island, with Darwins Arch on the right. Darwin Island is the northernmost of the Galapagos Islands and is home to enormous numbers of seabirds.
Wolf Island, with a liveaboard tour boat below sheer seacliffs, is the largest of the islands in the distant northern island group of the Galapagos archipelago, is home to hundreds of thousands of seabirds.  Vast schools of sharks and fish inhabit the waters surrounding Wolf Island
Wolf Island, with a liveaboard tour boat below sheer seacliffs, is the largest of the islands in the distant northern island group of the Galapagos archipelago, is home to hundreds of thousands of seabirds. Vast schools of sharks and fish inhabit the waters surrounding Wolf Island.
Booby in flight, motion blur, Darwin Island
Booby in flight, motion blur.
Brown pelican, waves, rocks and cliffs, sunset, Pelecanus occidentalis, Wolf Island
Brown pelican, waves, rocks and cliffs, sunset.
Scalloped hammerhead shark, black and white / grainy, Sphyrna lewini, Wolf Island
Scalloped hammerhead shark, black and white / grainy.
Spotted eagle ray, Aetobatus narinari, Wolf Island
Spotted eagle ray.
Unidentified snapper, Lutjanus, Darwin Island
Unidentified snapper.
Sea Turtle, underwater, black and white, Wolf Island
Sea Turtle, underwater, black and white.
Yellowtail surgeonfish, Prionurus laticlavius, Cousins
Yellowtail surgeonfish.
Bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus, Wolf Island
Bottlenose dolphin.
Striped sea chub, schooling, Kyphosus analogous, Wolf Island
Striped sea chub, schooling.
Pacific creolefish form immense schools and are a source of food for predatory fishes, Paranthias colonus, Darwin Island
Pacific creolefish form immense schools and are a source of food for predatory fishes.
A SCUBA diver is immersed in an enormous school of Pacific creolefish, black and white / grainy, Paranthias colonus, Darwin Island
A SCUBA diver is immersed in an enormous school of Pacific creolefish, black and white / grainy.
Galapagos tortoise, Santa Cruz Island species, highlands of Santa Cruz island, Geochelone nigra
Galapagos tortoise, Santa Cruz Island species, highlands of Santa Cruz island.
Gordon Rocks, a spectacular dive site near South Plaza Island
Gordon Rocks, a spectacular dive site near South Plaza Island.
Galapagos sea lion, Sullivan Bay, Zalophus californianus wollebacki, Zalophus californianus wollebaeki, James Island
Galapagos sea lion, Sullivan Bay.
Galapagos land iguana, Conolophus subcristatus, South Plaza Island
Galapagos land iguana.
Bartolome, Bartolome Island
Bartolome.
Galapagos sea lion on sandy beach, sunset, Zalophus californianus wollebacki, Zalophus californianus wollebaeki, Isla Lobos
Galapagos sea lion on sandy beach, sunset.
Galapagos sea lion pup, Zalophus californianus wollebacki, Zalophus californianus wollebaeki, North Seymour Island
Galapagos sea lion pup.
Galapagos penguin, perched on volcanic rocks.  Galapagos penguins are the northernmost species of penguin. Punta Albemarle, Spheniscus mendiculus, Isabella Island
Galapagos penguin, perched on volcanic rocks. Galapagos penguins are the northernmost species of penguin. Punta Albemarle.
Nazca booby, Sula granti, Wolf Island
Nazca booby.
Mangrove shoreline.  Mangroves have vertical branches, pheumatophores, that serve to filter out salt and provide fresh water to the leaves of the plant.  Many juvenile fishes and young marine animals reside in the root systems of the mangroves.  Punta Albemarle, Isabella Island
Mangrove shoreline. Mangroves have vertical branches, pheumatophores, that serve to filter out salt and provide fresh water to the leaves of the plant. Many juvenile fishes and young marine animals reside in the root systems of the mangroves. Punta Albemarle.
Mangrove shoreline.  Mangroves have vertical branches, pheumatophores, that serve to filter out salt and provide fresh water to the leaves of the plant.  Many juvenile fishes and young marine animals reside in the root systems of the mangroves.  Punta Albemarle, Isabella Island
Mangrove shoreline. Mangroves have vertical branches, pheumatophores, that serve to filter out salt and provide fresh water to the leaves of the plant. Many juvenile fishes and young marine animals reside in the root systems of the mangroves. Punta Albemarle.
Seacliffs, home of many seabirds, Wolf Island
Seacliffs, home of many seabirds.
An inflatable boat full of adventurous divers heads towards Roca Redonda (round rock), a lonely island formed from volcanic forces, in the western part of the Galapagos archipelago
An inflatable boat full of adventurous divers heads towards Roca Redonda (round rock), a lonely island formed from volcanic forces, in the western part of the Galapagos archipelago.
Boat Lammer Law lies at anchor near Isabella Island
Boat Lammer Law lies at anchor near Isabella Island.
Small plants have adapted to the arid condition in the Galapagos.  Bartolome Island
Small plants have adapted to the arid condition in the Galapagos. Bartolome Island.
Blue-footed booby chick, Sula nebouxii, North Seymour Island
Blue-footed booby chick.
Blue-footed booby, Punta Albemarle, Sula nebouxii, Isabella Island
Blue-footed booby, Punta Albemarle.
Scalloped hammerhead shark, black and white / grainy, Sphyrna lewini, Darwin Island
Scalloped hammerhead shark, black and white / grainy.
Hammerhead sharks, schooling, black and white / grainy, Sphyrna lewini, Wolf Island
Hammerhead sharks, schooling, black and white / grainy.
Hammerhead sharks, schooling, black and white / grainy, Sphyrna lewini, Darwin Island
Hammerhead sharks, schooling, black and white / grainy.
Yellowtail surgeonfish, motion blur, Prionurus laticlavius, Cousins
Yellowtail surgeonfish, motion blur.
Schooling fish, black and white / grainy, Wolf Island
Schooling fish, black and white / grainy.
Turtle, Wolf Island
Turtle.
Urchins on rock, black and white / grainy, Isla Lobos
Urchins on rock, black and white / grainy.
Bubbles rise from the depths of the ocean.  Black and white / grainy
Bubbles rise from the depths of the ocean. Black and white / grainy.
Encrusting sponges cover the lava reef, Cousins
Encrusting sponges cover the lava reef.
Galapagos tortoise, Santa Cruz Island species, highlands of Santa Cruz island, Geochelone nigra
Galapagos tortoise, Santa Cruz Island species, highlands of Santa Cruz island.