Species:
Microlophus albemarlensis
Galápagos Lava Lizard
Notes on this species:
Six of the seven lava lizard species in the Galápagos live on a single island (if you discount the fact that the Floreana species also lives on a few tiny islets off of Floreana). Microlophus albemarlensis is the exception; this species inhabits four of the largest islands and another half-dozen small islands.
April 29, 2012
South Plaza Island, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador
We first encountered M. albemarlensis on the small island of South Plaza, off the coast of Santa Cruz, where they competed for our attention with many large iguanas.
April 30, 2012
James Bay, Santiago Island, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador
The general rule with lava lizards is that the males are larger and more strikingly patterned, and the females have bright red/orange on their heads. But there is a lot of variation in the details, even within the same species. Here are two adult males and one adult female from Santiago.
May 2, 2012
North Seymour Island, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador
Here's a very robust adult male and a particularly colorful female from North Seymour. The female is doing the classic lizard trick of keeping her toes up in the air to avoid overheating.
May 2, 2012
Santa Fe Island, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador
On Santa Fe a colony of lava lizards inhabited the inland side of the sandy beach. True to their name, they were mostly perched on hunks of lava that were sticking up through the loose sand.
May 5, 2012
Baltra Island, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador
We were on Baltra just long enough to get from the dock to a bus to the airport, but that was long enough to see my last Galápagos Lava Lizard.
