The Waved Albatross of Galapagos

The Albatross is one of the most well known birds in the world because of its enormous wing span. Some types have wing spans up to 12 feet!  The Waved Albatross is mainly found on Genovesa Island and Española Island but also lives in areas off the coast of Ecuador, Peru, and Colombia.  It's very recognizable for its huge wing span of seven and a half feet, its ability to fly much longer than most other birds and its strange dancing during courtship.

Like Galapagos Penguins, the Waved Albatross partners for life with its mate until one of them dies.

They normally feed off of squid, fish, and crustaceans.

Nowadays the Waved Albatross is "critically endangered" due to illegal and long line fishing as well as tourism over time and disease.

The Waved Albatross gets its name from the feathers on the under side of its body that make a wave- like pattern when in flight.

Galapagos Penguins

drawing by Jacob Bryce

Galapagos penguins live on the Equator, the hottest temperature zone in the world. 

This is possible because the Galapagos Islands are surrounded by four cold currents.  They are: the Panama Current, the South Equatorial Current, the Humbolt Current (Peru Coastal Current), and the Peru Oceanic Current.  These four currents bring colder water to the Galapagos Islands as well as lots of marine life.

There are also two warm currents that are essential to mullet and sardines which are the main food source for Galapagos Penguins.  The two currents are known as the South Equatorial Countercurrent and the Peru Coastal Countercurrent.

double click on image to read currents

Galapagos penguins can grow to be almost two feet tall and can way up to about five pounds. 

They primarily live on Fernandina and Isabela Islands. 

Their main predators on land are snakes, owls and hawks, however, in the water they are hunted by sharks, fur eels, and sea lions.

Because these penguins are mating partners for life and they usually only have one baby,  the population has been up and down for the last 30 years.  In fact, in the '80s environmental changes threatened the penguins' population as 70% got wiped out.  Due to this, Galapagos Penguins are the rarest penguins in the world.