Marine iguanas, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador

© Tui De Roy/Minden Pictures

Marine iguanas, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador

Unlike your average iguanas, the marine iguanas pictured here are graceful swimmers that boast a unique ability to forage in the sea. And since it’s Grandparent’s Day, here’s some family history: It’s believed they evolved from their land-roaming relatives about 10 million years ago. They’re only found in the Galápagos Islands, where they failed to impress some early European explorers. Charles Darwin described the lizards as clumsy ‘imps of darkness.’ We think they’re cute.