Animals

The Channel Islands and the Santa Barbara Channel are home to a number of animals, in particular several families of pinnipeds. Pinnipeds--meaning "fin footed"--include California sea lions, harbor seals, Stellar sea lions, northern elephant seals, northern fur seals, and Guadalupe fur seals. The Channel Islands area is one of the best places in the world to find these animals.

Some California sea lions, which are easy to see, are shown on buoy below in the Santa Barbara Channel. Some 80,000 of these may be found in the channel. Adult male California sea lions may reach 9 feet in length and weigh up to 700 pounds, while the females reach 6 feet and 300 pounds. They eat squid, octopus, and a variety of fish.

The California sea lion is plentiful in the park. The pups, which are typically born from May to July, are born on land. The California sea lion exists on a diet of fish and squid found in the Channel. The enjoy the rocks and rocky beaches around the islands.

The various pinnipeds were plentiful in the channel and on the islands at one time. However, in the 1800's otters and other animals were hunted to near extinction. The International Fur Treaty of 1911, as well as the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, have been instrumental in aiding their return.

Dolphins The Santa Barbara Channel s a wonderful place for viewing large, aquatic mammals. Twenty-six species of dolphins and whales can be found in the channel at one time or another.

Dolphins cruising through the water with their dorsal fin evident above the water is a beautiful sight.

The expression on the dolphin's face seems to many people to resemble a smile. The animals travel together in large groups.

Dolphins are quite often easy for the visitor to see, as they will travel alongside the boat. The keep pace with the boat and swim all around it. As a result, closeup views of swimming dolphins are quite common.

The diet of the dolphin features fish and squid. They emit a high pitched squeak which allows them to communicate in a sophisticated manner.

Patterns on the skin of the animal are sometimes evident.

Whales Unquestionably the most magnificent animal which can be seen on or around the Channel Islands are the whales which swim through the area. The channel is one of the best places in the world to view whales. Several types of whiles can be seen at various times, including the gray whale, which is the most frequently found, and the blue whale. Other types include fin, minke, humpback, killer, and pilot whales.

When seen in the Santa Barbara Channel, the gray while is migrating between the Bering Sea and the West Arctic to the area around the Baja peninsula. They cover 10,000 miles in their annual round trip, traveling 100 miles in a day. Gray whales migrate beginning in December. When the whale swims at the surface of the water it may expel its breath as a vapor cloud, a plume of condensed air and spray, which is an exceptional sight.

The gray whale is an enormous animal, reaching lengths of up to 50 feet and a weight of 40 tons. The gray whale was hunted almost to extinction, but has rebounded somewhat. Some 17,000 of the animals are believed to currently exist.

The whale feeds by taking in sea water and forcing it through filtering baleen plates which are located in its jaws. The body of the whale may be covered with barnacles.

When the whale sounds, heading for the depths of the channel, it shows its magnificent tail flukes. When diving, the whale may stay submerged for up to 20 minutes.