Ecuador's Galapagos islands get on Google Street View Published duration 13 September 2013

image copyright AP image caption Street View allows users to explore a dive with sea lions off the Galapagos coast

Some of the striking landscapes of Ecuador's Galapagos islands can now be explored online on Google Street View.

The launch marks the 178th anniversary of the British scientist Charles Darwin's visit, which inspired his theory of natural selection.

The high-definition 360 degrees pictures are a joint project between Google, the Galapagos National Park and the Darwin Foundation.

The pictures were taken with a special backpack camera during 10 days in May.

Many of the animals seen by Darwin in his 1835 voyage were captured on camera by Google staff

Camera crews dived with sea-lions, trekked on the islands' biggest volcano and accompanied a leafy meal of the famous giant tortoises.

Viewers can also have a taste of less famous Galapagos wildlife, including marine iguanas, blue-footed boobies and Frigatebirds.

As in other Street View projects, you can zoom in and out and move around the images.

"The natural history of this archipelago is very remarkable: it seems to be a little world within itself," Darwin said after visiting the islands.