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their front flippers; seals cannot and they creep on the ground.- Sealionsswimwiththeirfront flippers, while seals swim with their posterior flippers.The other mammal I saw was the Galapagos fur sea lion, which is endemic to the Galapagos and is distinguished from the sea lion by its smaller size, shorter snout and larger eyes. Males weigh up to 75kg and females up to 35kg. They always inhabit rocky areas and never on sandy beaches, hiding from the sun. They feed at night on squid and schools of small fish and can dive to a depth of 40 to 100m. The Galapagos fur sea lion is also classified by the IUCN as an endangered species. I found a family of five fur sea lions, including the one in the photo, living in a grotto at James Bay on Santiago.Aside from being referred to as islands of sea birds, the Galapagos are well known as being home to reptiles, and the main attractions are the giant tortoise, the land iguana and the marine iguana. The archipelago is named after the tortoises; galapago is an old Spanish word for “saddle”, as the first tortoises the Spanish seafarers saw here had carapaces shaped very much like a Spanish saddle.The giant tortoise can be divided into two main groups: saddleback tortoises and dome-shaped tortoises. Both have a similar carapace length of up to 1.5m and can weigh up to 300kg. The shell size and shape vary between islands and habitats. The tortoises that inhabit islands with humid highlands are larger, with domed shells and short necks, while those living on islands with dry lowlands are smaller, with saddleback shells and long necks. The Galapagos giant tortoises in the two photos belong to the dome-shaped carapace group. Their lifespan in the wild is over 100 years. The IUCN lists the Galapagos A Galapagos giant totoise on Santa Cruz Island.Galapagos giant totoises mating on Santa Cruz Island.Elite+ 37