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The Galapagos is no place for a mammal. But it's a great place to be a reptile. Land animals had to make the trip here via rafts of vegetation that broke loose from the mainland, which isn't so bad if you have scaly skin, are cold-blooded and can go for a long time without fresh water. A few rodents managed to colonize the islands, and there are some native bats, but reptiles rule. One of the weirdest reptiles is the marine iguana, the world's only seagoing lizard. It basks on lava rocks to warm up in the morning, then swims around in the surf eating seaweed. They get to be four feet long or more and look for all the world like Godzilla. Like other Galapagos creatures, they aren't particularly bothered by humans gawking at them.

A Naturalist’s Pilgrimage to the Galapagos

Smithsonian’s Laura Helmuth vacationed in the Galapagos Islands and returned with even more respect for Charles Darwin

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Inauguration History

Behind Inaugural Speeches, Meaningful Words

What words do presidents focus on most in their inaugural addresses? Explore speeches, from Washington to Obama

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Beyond the Photos with Neal Slavin

Photographer Neal Slavin discusses his group portraits and his career as a whole

A study shows that cabbage white butterflies with their hindwings removed could fly as far and as high as before.

Wild Things: Life as We Know It

Butterflies, clicking antelopes, creatures of the deep and more

Climate change causes carbon dioxide to dissolve in ocean water making it more acidic and efficient at transmitting sound waves.

Wild Things: Life as We Know It

Chewing dinosaurs, climate change, self-sacrificing ants and black bears

A fallow deer with its impressive but unevenly formed antler looks straight into the light of the setting sun.

Wild Things: Life as We Know It

Bats’ barotrauma, fallow deer, Tahitian vanilla, lucky dinosaurs

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