Bartholomew Island and Cousins Rock Dive Tour

The Pacific seahorse is listed in IUCN red list in the Vulnerable category since the Asian market catches them for making Chinese medicine. The shape of this fish is so unique, that is easy to identify, the problem is to find them since they camouflage very well in the long seaweed, coral or rocks. The color can change according to the surroundings: red, yellow, tan, brown, grey, black, with spots or stripes. It can grow about 30 cm or 11.8 inches. One thing that is remarkable in this fish besides the shape of the body, is that the male is the one that carries the babies in a belly bag, and can be found in very shallow waters 1 m. or 3 ft to 60 m. or 197 ft.

Mobula rays are smaller than the Manta birostris. In Galapagos are three species: Mobula japanica that can be recognized by the presence of a keel over the spiracle, dorsal tip white, long tail, and dark upper and white belly. Mobula munkiana is more golden brown with white underside wings, medium tail, small size (1.1 m. or 3 ft. wide). Mobula tarapacana have a long head and short horns, short keel over the spiracle, strongly curved wings, belly front white, rear abruptly grey, short tail, and of long size (more than 3 m. or 9 ft. wide).

Spheniscus mendiculus is the second smallest species of penguin in the world and the only one in the northern hemisphere. This is endemic to the Galapagos Islands, distributed mainly on the west side of the archipelago with two small satellite populations in Floreana and Santiago Islands. The Santiago population is about 50 to 100 birds (including the Bartholomew population, about 20 individuals). This seabird feeds on small fish, and depending on cold productive waters is highly vulnerable during El Niño events. They nest and rest on lava tubes close to the coast, and avoid walking long distances.