They come here to dine on the bountiful feast provided by our rich marine ecosystem. But in recent years both humpback whales and blue whales have visited Point Lobos in the middle part of the year with increasing frequency. When our visitors think of whales, they usually think of the California gray whale, which migrates past our shores every winter. The whales and dolphins (“cetaceans”), however, spend all their lives in the ocean, having relinquished their hind legs in the streamlining of their bodies to help them move through the water. Otters and pinnipeds come out of the ocean to differing degrees (and in different kinds of places). Taken as a group all of these animals are called “pinnipeds.” Perhaps, however, you might be looking at a transient animal, an elephant seal or a Steller sea lion. Learning some of those differences can help you know which one you are seeing. These two similar-looking animals are often confused by visitors, but as you will learn there are quite a few differences between them. Other year-round marine mammals are the California sea lions and harbor seals. Otters reside at Point Lobos year-round and breed in the Reserve as well. Marine mammals found at Point LobosĬlearly, the poster child of marine mammals is the sea otter. Some spend all their time in the ocean, while others may come on land but depend upon the ocean for some of their basic needs – most notably, food. Marine mammals are beautifully adapted to life in or on the sea, enabling them to swim, dive, breathe, keep warm, and find food in the ocean. A marine mammal, like its land-dwelling counterpart, is warm-blooded, is fur-bearing or has rudimentary hairs, gives birth to live young, and nurses its offspring. Marine mammals have evolved from land animals and share characteristics with their terrestrial relatives. Whether it is our iconic sea otter, our resident harbor seals and sea lions, or the whales and dolphins that pass by or stop in to dine in our bountiful ocean, visitors save their most What is a marine mammal? Marine mammals are among the biggest attractions to Point Lobos. The abundant marine life in this protected underwater reserve can be enjoyed in a multitude of ways, whether by gazing into the tide pools at Weston Beach at low tide, spotting California sea lions out on the rocks or sea otters wrapped in kelp off of the bluff at Sea Lion Point, or donning scuba gear to explore the undersea cliffs and canyons off Whalers and Bluefish Coves. Its rocky coastline and offshore waters offer superb habitat for a huge diversity of plants and animals. It is no surprise that landscape artist Francis McComas called it the “greatest meeting of land and water in the world”. Point Lobos is dramatically situated at the ocean edge of the enormous Pacific Ocean.
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