As a result, in part, of the visit of Charles Darwin, the Galapagos Islands were brought to the attention of zoologists, botanists and geologists of the world. However, it is only recently that a new world of wonders has been discovered hidden within the fertile seas that surround the islands.
Bartolome Island has a shallow bay that we can explore using a mask and snorkel or from our glass bottom boat. And because Galapagos is influenced by several major ocean current systems, it provides an ideal location for observing a large variety of tropical fishes. Here we are able to admire many species of the most successful vertebrates that have ever lived on the Earth: the fish.
Puffer fish like the one in this picture (Guineafowl puffer) belong to the group Percomorpha, which is the most numerically important of all the vertebrate groups present in the marine environment. These fish have a globe-shaped body and are extremely poisonous. A poison gland, which is a modified mucus gland in the skin, and toxic flesh combine to make the puffer fish deadly. The variety of colors, markings and patterns on this fish area delight for human eyes.
