Galapagos Red Bat

Two species of bats have been recorded in Galapagos, both indigenous residents. Bats are unmistakable, small, furry, nocturnal, flying mammals. Their wings being formed of a membrane of skin between the elongated digits of their 'hands' and their ankles.
Locally common resident; endemic subspecies brachyotis, which is considered by some authorities to be a full species. Found in both the highlands and lowlands.
Identification: Short, blunt head and ears, no nose-leaf, and thickly-furred tail membrane. Considerably smaller than the Hoary Bat. Tends to fly relatively close to the ground, with rather fast wing beats. Fur bright rusty-orange on lower back; forequarters yellow, frosted with red; underparts yellowish.

Behavior: A tree-roosting bat, usually occurring singly among foliage in sheltered places, especially along forest edges. Occasionally forages around street lights in towns, but it is rarely seen by visitors during a Galapagos cruise.

Animal group Name:  Vespertilionidae
scientific name:  Lasiurus borealis
 Animal Average size: 3-4.5 inches with a wingspan of about 13 inches.
Animal Average Weight: 7 to 13 g.


Places where you may see this animal in Galapagos:
Isabela, Santa Cruz, San Cristobal

The largest island of the archipelago and is easily recognized due to its shape that resembles a seahorse. Well known for having the second biggest active crater of the world in Sierra Negra Volcano (1.490 m), is located on the west of the archipelago and has one of the richest marine ecosystems. Isabela together with Fernandina are still located over the hot spot, causing volcanic activity until today, making them the youngest islands of the archipelago. Wolf Volcano had activity just last year giving visitors the chance to see how the islands grow and turn into what we know today.
It was formed into a big island mass by six volcanoes that in the beginning were six different islands, five of which are still active. Each one of them is populated by a different specie of Tortoise that used to live in a separated island.
Home of Penguins, Flightless Cormorants, Marine and Land Iguanas and many Marine Birds, Isabela also portrays the picture of the evolving process that these species went through in all different locations of the same island. Named Albermale by the English colonizers, it offers not only diverse ecosystems but also some of the most amazing landscapes and natural sights of the archipelago.
Small human population in the south of the islands. This is one of the four populated islands; about 2200 people live in Puerto Villamil. This town is the result of almost 300 years of interesting human interactions related to military plans and prison breakouts, and today is a welcoming site to explore and encounter the settlements that can tell the story.
Punta Vicente Roca visitor site is the best place to find the famous flightless cormorant. The evolution process that this specie went through can be observed on his behavior and environment on this location, providing evidence to understand Darwin’s theory of evolution. Located on the north side, the head of the sea horse is a very important marine productive area, hit by the Cromwell Current, offers the most extraordinary marine life so it is considered one of the best diving spots of the archipelago. Whales and sharks are often seen in our visits.
Bahia Urbina visitor site is located on the central west side of the island and is the only place of the archipelago where tortoises have been born and are still there, in other words, they are a natural, untouched population. All other have suffered migrations or problems with introduced species.

Visitors sites: Albemarle Point, Arnaldo Tupiza Tortoise Breeding Center, Cape Marshall, Concha de Perla, Cowley Islet, Elizabeth Bay, Las Tintoreras, Moreno Point, Puerto Viallmil, Roca Blanca, Sierra Negra Volcano, Tagus Cove, The Wetlands, Urbina Bay, Vicente Rock Point, Wall of Tears

It is located on the center of the archipelago, the reason why it is the biggest human settlement, with a population of about 19 thousand people. This island is the most developed in terms of human population that started when one man was abandoned and survived in an old scientific settlement as the Course of the Tortoise tells. The highlands of Santa Cruz are one of the biggest green areas of the archipelago; therefore agricultural activities started on the early 40s and grew rapidly from there. The Charles Darwin Research Station was developed in town on 1959 and has allowed scientific research and conservation projects progress. In between the facilities there is the tortoise breeding center which objective is to rebuild an almost extinct population in Española island where only six individuals where remaining. Today, these efforts have restored the population to over one thousand individuals. Also named Indefatigable after the military British vessel,
The largest accessible lava tunnels.  Underneath the ground hundreds of lava tunnels have been formed by different temperature kinds of lava flow. Some of these tubes are several kilometers long and even though most have collapsed with time and erosion, a couple of them are still there to be visited. They offer the visitor the chance to understand why the stories of pirates and treasures are related to these geological formations.
The biggest tortoises in accessible visitor site. The highlands of Santa Cruz have a big wild population of Tortoises, they walk freely around the private and National Park lands. In our visit to this area, one can notice the difference in size from these animals to others in other visiting sites. There are 15 subspecies of land tortoises in the Galapagos, 4 from which are extinct. They present two different tortoise shell shapes, the Saddleback and the Dome shape. Santa Cruz has tree tortoise subspecies that show both kinds of shells and allow visitors to notice the difference and once understand the evolutionary process that shaped them into this giant prehistoric like animals.
This island has six vegetation zones, each one very different to the others. The contrast of the arid or littoral zone located on the base of the island just a few meters from the ocean, and the scalesia and miconia zones, only to be found in San Cristobal and in this island at about 700 meters above sea level, is portrayed by the landscape and the ecosystems. One of the rarest bush forests stands in the center of the island, spread on top of the Twin Craters.
This island also has some of the largest mangrove areas, a very important ecosystem for all marine life and many terrestrial species. These zones are the nursery of most marine fish and shark.
Tortoises, lava tunnels, white-sand beaches and a picturesque modern town Puerto Ayora bring lift to one of Galapagos greenest, most tropical islands.
 
Visitor sites: Bachas Beach, Ballena Bay, Black turtle Cove, Carrion Point, Carrion Point Dive site, Charles Darwom Station, Dragon Hill, Eden Islet, El Chato Giant Tortoise Reserve, Hacienda Primicias Reserve, Village Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz highlands, Tortuga Bay, Twin craters

One of the oldest and closest to the continent, located on the east of the archipelago, which means it is the farthest of the hot spot of all, about 200 kilometers away from it with no volcanic activity. It is formed by four volcanoes bonded together and is the most humid island due to underground aquifers and fresh water flows. The English named it Chatam because of the British Prime Minister William Pitt of Chatam. It holds the biggest fresh water lake of the archipelago called El Junco, located on the south center part of the island about 660m above sea level.  San Cristobal is one of the two only places where the Red Footed Booby can be found in a nesting colony in Punta Pitt visiting site.
This island is the capital of the archipelago, Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, with a population of about 7 thousand people. Human development started on the early 1832, firstly on the highlands on a sugar production settlement. An Interpretation Center was developed in town, where visitors can learn about the biological and historic facts that conform the islands.
Charles Darwin Journey on San Cristobal. This is the first Island visited by Charles Darwin, and his first impression of the dry coast he saw was of a deserted and isolated place. He did not find the tropical richness he expected, but he had the chance to collect the first specie that later on would be the start of his Theory of Evolution, the San Cristobal Mockingbird.
Punta Pitt visitor site is one of the two only places where the Red Footed Booby can be found in a nesting colony and offers an amazing red landscape full of Sesuvium, a very special endemic plant specie that turns color depending on the season. It has a magnificent beach formed with Peridot, a sparkly mineral creation that shines green with sunlight.
Cerro Brujo visitor site is the only place in the archipelago where Red Footed Boobies, Nasca Boobies and Blue Footed Boobies are found nesting together.
Tijeretas visitor site is the very first point that Charles Darwin visited on his journey. Not far from the interpretation center, there is a calm water rocky bay, a magnificent snorkel area and view site for nesting Frigate Birds, animal from which the place takes its name, Tijeretas.
Cerro Colorado visitor site on the southwest side of the island holds the facility of the Tortoise breeding Center, an semi natural area built for the purpose of rebuilding the tortoise population of the island and their conservation.
 
Visitor sites
El Junco Lagoon, Kicker Rock, La Galapaguera Jacinto Gordillo Breeding Center, Interpretation Center Gianny Arismendi , Tijeretas Hill, Lobo island, Pitt Point, Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, Puerto Chino, Witch Hill