Mammals of the Bay Area
Sea Otter - Enhydra lutris (Moss Landing) |
Northern Elephant Seal - Mirounga angustirostris (Ano Nuevo State Park) |
A very few marine mammals like the Harbor Seal can actually be seen in the Bay. The rest of them are found along the coast. Some require boat trips because they never come close to land.
A special whale-watching page has been compiled for more information on marine mammals ...more .
Whales
- Gray Whale - Eschrichtius robustus
- Humpback Whale - Megaptera novaeangliae
- Blue Whale - Balaenoptera musculus
- Fin Whale - Balaenoptera physalus
- Sei Whale - Balaenoptera borealis
- Minke Whale - Balaenoptera acutorostrata
- Orca (Killer Whale) - Orcinus orca
- North Pacific Right Whale - Eubalaena japonica
- Short-finned Pilot Whale - Globicephala macrorhynchus
- Sperm Whale - Physeter macrocephalus
- Pygmy Sperm Whale - Kogia breviceps
- Dwarf Sperm Whale - Kogia sima
- Cuvier's Beaked Whale - Ziphius cavirostris
- Baird's Beaked Whale - Berardius bairdii
- Hubb's Beaked Whale - Mesoplodon carlhubbsi
- Blainville's Beaked Whale - Mesoplodon densirostris
- Stejneger's Beaked Whale - Mesoplodon stejnegeri
Dolphins and Porpoises
- Pacific White-sided Dolphin - Lagenorhynchus obliquidens
- Dall's Porpoise - Phocoenoides dalli
- Northern right whale dolphin - Lissodelphis borealis
- Short-beaked Common Dolphin - Delphinus delphis
- Long-beaked Common Dolphin - Delphinus capensis
- Bottlenose Dolphin - Tursiops truncates
- Striped Dolphin - Stenella coeruleoalba
- Spotted Dolphin - Mirounga angustirostris
- Rough-toothed Dolphin - Steno bredanensis
- Risso's Dolphin - Grampus griseus
- Harbor Porpoise - Phocoena phocoena
Sea-lions and Seals
- Northern Fur Seal - Callorhinus ursinus
- Northern (Steller) Sea-lion - Eumetopias jubatus
- California Sea-lion - Zalophus californianus
- Northern Elephant Seal - Mirounga angustirostris
- Harbor Seal - Phoca vitulina
Otters
- Sea Otter - Enhydra lutris
Mammals Articles and Links
- Overview of marine mammals in the 3 National Marine Sanctuaries - Monterey Bay, Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Banks.
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- Status of pinnipeds in the Bay area - monitoring project of the National Park Service
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- Field Studies of Porpoises, Dolphins & Whales in San Francisco Bay and on the Coast of Northern California by Golden Gate Cetacean Research
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- Safe Harbor - Welcoming Porpoises Back to San Francisco Bay by Bill Keener - in depth article about Harbor Porpoises near the Golden Gate.
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- The Bay area coast provides excellent opportunities for whale-watching. You can manage to see several species of whales, relatively easily. ...more
- If you happen to come across a stranded or injured marine mammal, please contact Marine Mammal Center
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- Minke Whales in San Francisco Bay Area Waters, a resource briefing from the National Park Service, July 2010
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- Fur Seals Making a Comeback on the Farallones, Bay Citizen, 7 October, 2011
...link
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