Fishes
There is a great variety of fishes living in the Galapagos Islands. The variety comes from the fact that there are several climate zones within the archipelago. Most of our islands fall within the median climate zone in the archipelago (Grove & Lavenberg 1997).
Here are some of the most common fishes living around our islands:
Sharks:
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Brief Info |
| Blacktip shark | Carcharhinus limbatus | found in Academy Bay |
| Whitetip reef shark | Triaenodon obesus | common in shallow around Bartolome |
| Galapagos shark | C. galapagensis | found around coral reefs and rocky bottoms |
| Tiger shark | Galeocerdo cuvier | found in surface waters and shallow regions |
Skates and Rays:
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Brief Info |
| Spotted eagle ray | Aetobatus narinari | found in Academy Bay |
| Golden counose ray | Rhinoptera steindachneri | found in mangrove lagoons in Santa Cruz |
| Giant manta | Manta birostris | found around Santa Cruz |
Bony Fishes:
(These are not all the bony fishes, just some of the most common around our islands.)
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Brief Info |
| Masked moray | Gymnothorax panamensis | found in reefs and rocky shallows |
| Banded moray | Gymnothorax ruppelliae | found in reefs and rocky shallows |
| Longhead moray | Uropterygius macrocephalus | found in Academy Bay |
| Pacific snake eel | Ophichthus triserialis | lives in the sand bottoms around Santa Cruz and Santa Fe |
| Pouch snake eel | Paraletharchus opercularis | found around Bartolome, Santa Cruz, and Santiago |
| Galapagos garden eel | Heteroconger klausewitzi | found along east shore of Santa Cruz |
| Brownspot cusk eel | Otophidium indefatigable | only found around Santa Cruz |
| Velvetnose brotula | Petrotyx hopkinski | a secretive fish found around Santa Cruz and Santa Fe |
| Orange brotula | Ogilbia deroyi | only found around Santa Cruz and Santa Fe |
| Redmouth batfish | Ogcocephalus darwini | especially common around Bartolome |
| Smallsucker clingfish | Tomicodon chilensis | found in shallows, especially around Santiago |
| Common halfbeak | Hypohamphus unifasciatus | common by sandy shores |
| Flat needlefish | Ablennus hians | large numbers in Academy Bay- lives in open waters |
| Crimson soldierfish | Myripristis leiognathos | found around Bartolome and Santa Fe |
| Rainbow scorpionfish | Scorpaenodes xyris | common around reefs and rocks by Santa Cruz and Santa Fe |
| White snook | Centropomus veridis | found in estuaries, Academy Bay, Tortuga Bay, and around Santiago |
| Bacalao | Mycteroperca olfax | live in water deeper than 100m: is being overfished |
| Whitespotted sandbass | Paralabrax albomaculatus | found in areas of upwelling |
| Creolefish | Paranthias colonus | very common and found in many places |
| Cortez soapfish | Rypticus bicolor | found in waters less than 70m deep |
| Burrito grunt | Anisotremus interruptus | found around Bartolome and in South James Bay |
| Goldeneye grunt | Haemulon scudderii | found by ledges, coral, and lava boulders |
| Blackstriped salema | Xenocys jessiae | found by sands and corals |
| Galapagos porgy | Calamus taurinus | found in waters deeper than 30m |
| Wide-eye croaker | Odontoscion eurymesops | lives in the shallows |
| Galapagos rock croaker | Paraques perissa | lives in the waters in the north of Seymour Island |
| Galapagos croaker | Umbrina galapagorium | found around Santiago |
| Mexican goatfish | Mulloides dentatus | found in moderate depths |
| Dusky sea chub | Girella freminvilli | abundant in small schools |
| Three banded butterflyfish | Chaetodon humeralis | found by Bartolome and Santiago |
| Barberfish | Johnrandallia nigrirostris | found by Bartolome and Santiago |
| King angelfish | Holacanthus passer | found in the waters of the north part of Seymour Island |
| Pacific beakfish | Oplegnathus insignis | lives in lava shores up to a depth of 30m |
| Striped mullet | Mugil cephalus | found in schools in open waters around Santa Cruz |
| Orange-eye mullet | Xenomugil thoburni | abundant in shallows |
| Panamic sergeant major | Abudefdub troschelii | found in shallows by rocks and reefs |
| Galapagos ringtail damselfish | Stegastes beebi | found around rocks and reefs |
| Chameleon wrasse | Halichoeres dispilus | found by coral-rich sand bottoms |
| Pacific reef sheephead | Semicossyphus darwini | found in deeper waters |
| Halftooth parrotfish | Calotomus spinidens | became abundant after 82-83 El Nino |
| Finspot triplefin blenny | Lepidonectes corallicola | found in rocky intertidals and shallow pools around Santa Cruz |
| Milky sand stargazer | Dactyloscopus lacteus | found in sands and shallows |
| Arrow stargazer | Myxodagnus sagitta | found around Santa Cryz and in James Bay |
| Shortfin sand stargazer | Platygillellus rubellulus | found in sands |
| Galapagos four-eyed blenny | Dialommus fuscus | lives in tidepools and shorepools and in Academy Bay |
| Sabertooth blenny | Plagiotremus azaleus | found among coral and densely encrusted rocks |
| Southern frillfin | Bathygobius lineatus | dominant species in shallow tidepools around Santa Cruz |
| Orangespot goby | Coryphopterus urospilus | common in sandy bottoms by rocks and corals |
| Brokenband cleaner goby | Elacatinus nesiotes | found by rocks on Santa Cruz |
| Galapagos bluebanded goby | Lythrypnus gilberti | found by rocks at various depths |
| Spotcheek goby | Lythrypnus rhizophora | lives in reefs, especially around Santa Cruz |
| Yellowtail surgeonfish | Prionurus laticlavius | very common in shallow waters |
| Speckled flounder | Paralichthys woolmani | found in mud, sand and gravel-many juveniles are found on Bartolome |
| Spotfin tonguefish | Symphurus atramentatus | lives between the intertidal layer and a depth of 60m in substrata |
| Orangeside triggerfish | Sufflamen verres | found in areas of coral development |
| Concave puffer | Sphoeroides angusticeps | found by reefs and rocks in Academy Bay |
| Bullseye puffer | Sphoeroides annulatus | common in bays, coves, and mangrove lagoons |
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