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Learn the wildlife of Galápagos National Park

Galápagos · Ecuador

1,509 species have research-grade observations inside Galápagos National Park on iNaturalist. KnowKi turns the most recorded into short lessons with real photos, so you know what you're looking at before you go.

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Most recorded here

The species with the most research-grade observations on iNaturalist, and how many each has. Most recorded doesn't mean native.

Birds

  1. Blue-footed Booby Sula nebouxii2,659
  2. Galápagos Mockingbird Mimus parvulus2,056
  3. Mangrove Yellow Warbler Setophaga petechia1,545
  4. Nazca Booby Sula granti1,519
  5. Swallow-tailed Gull Creagrus furcatus1,474
  6. Brown Pelican Pelecanus occidentalis1,312
  7. American Flamingo Phoenicopterus ruber1,235
  8. Great Frigatebird Fregata minor1,138
  9. Galápagos Flycatcher Myiarchus magnirostris1,137
  10. Small Ground-Finch Geospiza fuliginosa1,120

Plants

  1. Galápagos Pricklypear Opuntia galapageia3,465
  2. Candelabra cactus Jasminocereus thouarsii2,055
  3. Lava Cactus Brachycereus nesioticus984
  4. Yellow geiger Cordia lutea917
  5. Darwin's cotton Gossypium darwinii809
  6. Thorn shrub Scutia spicata469
  7. Mexican palo verde Parkinsonia aculeata461
  8. Manchineel Hippomane mancinella448
  9. Salt bush Cryptocarpus pyriformis448
  10. Galápagos leatherleaf Maytenus octogona447

Mammals

  1. Galápagos Sea Lion Zalophus wollebaeki2,873
  2. Galápagos Fur Seal Arctocephalus galapagoensis328
  3. Common Bottlenose Dolphin Tursiops truncatus41
  4. Domestic Cat Felis catus36
  5. Domestic Goat Capra hircus35
  6. Galápagos Rice Rat Aegialomys galapagoensis27
  7. House Mouse Mus musculus26
  8. Black Rat Rattus rattus16
  9. Orca Orcinus orca13

Insects

  1. Large Painted Locust Schistocerca melanocera762
  2. Galápagos carpenter bee Xylocopa darwini467
  3. Variegated Paper Wasp Polistes versicolor280
  4. Ramon Blue Hemiargus ramon274
  5. Striped Saddlebags Tramea darwini180
  6. Dorantes Longtail Cecropterus dorantes157
  7. Cloudless Sulphur Phoebis sennae153
  8. Queen Danaus gilippus133
  9. Spotless Lady Beetle Cycloneda sanguinea103
  10. Rustic Sphinx Manduca rustica88

Spiders and kin

  1. Western Spotted Orbweaver Neoscona oaxacensis312
  2. Silver Garden Orbweaver Argiope argentata201
  3. Spinybacked Orbweaver Gasteracantha cancriformis117
  4. Pantropical Huntsman Spider Heteropoda venatoria67
  5. Hadruroides galapagoensis66
  6. Leucauge argyra47
  7. Selenops mexicanus45
  8. Frigga crocuta39

Reptiles

  1. Marine Iguana Amblyrhynchus cristatus4,984
  2. Santa Cruz Lava Lizard Microlophus indefatigabilis2,457
  3. Galápagos Land Iguana Conolophus subcristatus1,938
  4. Galápagos Giant Tortoise Chelonoidis niger1,894
  5. Isabela Lava Lizard Microlophus albemarlensis1,278
  6. Green Sea Turtle Chelonia mydas937
  7. San Cristobal Lava Lizard Microlophus bivittatus937
  8. Santiago Lava Lizard Microlophus jacobii731
  9. Española Lava Lizard Microlophus delanonis583
  10. Santa Fe Land Iguana Conolophus pallidus408

Fish

  1. Blue-barred Parrotfish Scarus ghobban348
  2. Mexican Hogfish Bodianus diplotaenia317
  3. Razor Surgeonfish Prionurus laticlavius278
  4. King Angelfish Holacanthus passer252
  5. Bullseye Puffer Sphoeroides annulatus244
  6. Galápagos Gregory Stegastes arcifrons233
  7. Cortez Rainbow Wrasse Thalassoma lucasanum208
  8. Panamic Sergeant Major Abudefduf troschelii180
  9. Panamic Fanged Blenny Ophioblennius steindachneri172
  10. Southern Frillfin Bathygobius lineatus153

Mollusks

  1. Rough-ribbed Nerite Nerita scabricosta64
  2. Galápagos Reef Octopus Octopus oculifer53
  3. Hexaplex princeps46
  4. Black-spotted cowrie Pseudozonaria nigropunctata43
  5. Plicopurpura columellaris42
  6. Gourd Rock Snail Vasula melones38
  7. Columbella fuscata31
  8. Chiton sulcatus31
  9. Galápagos Blue Beauty Tambja mullineri28
  10. Purple Cone Conus purpurascens22

How a trip works

A trip has its own trail of lessons: meet six species, match them to new photos, then practice with four choices. Species you learn go into your Fieldbook, and starting a trip earns its Passport stamp. Your home place stays as it is.

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Species lists and counts from research-grade observations on iNaturalist, as of October 2026. Parks outside the U.S. are from the World Database on Protected Areas (UNEP-WCMC and IUCN, Protected Planet). KnowKi is not affiliated with the National Park Service or any park's managers. Free, with no ads, no account, and no purchases.