Copper Rockfish
Sunflower Star
Sunflower Star
Cormorant
Cormorant
Cormorant
|
Ocean Creatures
Critters from our San Luis Obispo County coastal waters for you to enjoy!
These animals are a sampling of creatures who live right here in our water. Some may make you want to take up diving just to get a live look - others may scare you from the water. Either way, the ocean needs to be protected and they are just a few of the reasons why.
Copper Rockfish Sebastes caurinus
Copper rockfish live from the Gulf of Alaska to central Baja California. Adults and juveniles come in such a variety of colors that identification can be confusing. These fish are sometimes called "the fish that never die," because they survive in air for quite a while. They can grow to 22.5 inches in length; and get as old as 14 years. Adults generally live at depths below 400 feet, but they can be found between 200 and 600 feet. Juvenile rockfish live on plankton; adult fish eat octopus, crab, shrimp and small fish.
Rockfish have slightly toxic venomous fin spines that can cause pain and infection. In giant kelp forests, rockfish hover motionless under the kelp canopy, buoyed by their air bladders.
Rockfish, also known as rock cod or Pacific red snapper, are popular with seafood lovers. But some rockfish don’t breed until they’re 20 years old, and they have few young—these factors make them very vulnerable to overfishing.
Sunflower Star Pycnopodia helianthoides
Habitat: Kelp Forest
Animal Type: Invertebrates
Diet: crabs, sea cucumbers, snails, chitons, sea urchins, dead or dying squid and other sea stars
Size: to 39 inches (1 m) from armtip to armtip
Range: low intertidal and subtidal zones from Alaska to San Diego
Juvenile sunflower stars start life with five arms—by maturity they sport up to 24 arms.
Most sea stars have a one-piece, semirigid skeleton. However, the sunflower star’s skeleton has a few disconnected pieces. They allow the sunstar's mouth to open wide and its body to enlarge and take in big prey. A sunflower star can swallow an entire sea urchin, digest it internally and then expel the urchin’s test—its external shell.
Soft skin in colors ranging from purple to brown, orange or yellow adds to its beauty.For a sea star, this animal is a voracious predator. When on the prowl for food, the sunflower star swings along on its 15,000 tube feet—moving at the remarkable speed, for a sea star, of over 40 inches (1 m) per minute.
Conservation - Urban runoff and sewage spills harm sea stars and all creatures that live off our coasts.When you visit the shore, it’s best just to look, not touch or disturb the animals and plants that live there. Persistent ill-treatment of a sunstar can leave it in poor condition.
Brandt's Cormorant Phalacrocorax penicillatus
Double-crested Phalacrocorax auritus
Pelagic Cormorant Phalacrocorax pelagicus
According to Rich Stallcup, Biologist for Point Reyes Bird Observatory, correct identification of the three species of West Coast Cormorants can be difficult. He advises identification while in flight. Based on his drawings and descriptions, we often see the Brandt's and the Double-crested cormorants nesting near each other in trees near the ocean along our central coast. Both types of cormorants are colonial, building nests in groups.
(See www.prbo.org/cms/docs/observer/focus82cormorants.pdf)
Cormorants are beautiful black birds that, like geese, will migrate flying silently in large arcs or in wedge-shaped flocks. Both the Pelagic and the Brandt's cormorants will fly over water; however, the Double-crested with take short cuts, flying over land.
A Cormorant is an amazing marine bird to watch because it dives from the surface of the water and swims underwater, chasing its prey. It grabs a small fish in its bill, without spearing it. After diving, cormorants spread their wings to air dry, a beautiful sight.
According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Habitat - All three cormorants are found along the Pacific Coast. The double-crested cormorants are also found in other parts of the U.S. These cormorants are part of the Pacific nearshore ecosystem.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Migratory Bird Management Mission: To conserve migratory bird populations and their habitats for future generations, through careful monitoring and effective management.
The Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act with Canada, Japan, Mexico and Russia for the protection of migratory bird resources states it is unlawful to take any migratory bird, any part, nest or eggs. The intent of the federal law is to protect sensitive habitat by not allowing habitat removal or destruction.
When guidelines for reproductive nesting dates are given, the purpose is to guide dates for habitat sensitive tree trimming, not removal, leaving the nests intact as they are in continuous and repeated use.
Submitted by Carol Georgi, Volunteer
www.santalucia.sierraclub.org, www.slosurfrider.org, www.saveourseas.org
Images and information provided by the Central Coast Extension of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photos by Terry Lilley with Sue Sloan doing the lighting. Terry is sharing his photos to encourage interest in the marine sanctuary effort. Contact Carol to be added to the "Critter of the Week" email list.
DVD's of these and other ocean creatures of the Central Coast can be purchased for about $30 online. |
