Marine mammals of Oregon
I have a stack of books on my bedside table which I read through slowly over months. I have recently finished reading one of these books, "Mammals of Washington and Oregon," and I have decided to post about our critters this winter since there are no more flowers till spring.
The pics related to this post are uploaded elsewhere but, if you click on the links marked Pic, a new window will open with a pic of the critter. Or you can click here and a new window with all the pics will open.
The largest mammal in Oregon (okay - off the coast of Oregon) is the humpback whale which can grow up to 60 feet long and weigh 50 tons. They are not really an "Oregon mammal" because they are found in all the oceans of the world. Pic.
The grey whale, which grows to 45-50 feet long and can weigh up to 36 tons, is found only in the northern Pacific mostly along the west coast of North America where they migrate up and down between northern Alaska and Baja California. Pic.
Orcas are also not a specifically "Oregon mammal" and occur in all the oceans. They can grow to 30 feet long and weigh 10 tons. Pic.
The Pacific white-sided dolphin is found only in the northern Pacific. They can grow up to 8 feet long and weigh 300 lbs. They are considered a deep-water species but recently have been coming closer to shore. Pic.
Dall's porpoise grows to only about 6 feet long but can weigh over 300 lbs because of its plump orca-like body. They are found only in the northern Pacific, ranging from Baja California north to Alaska and across the Bering Sea into Siberian and Japanese waters. Pic.
Harbor seals can grow up to over 6 feet long and weigh nearly 400 lbs. They live all along the Pacific coast from Alaska to California but are also found in all parts of the northern oceans. Pic.
Northern elephant seals can travel as far north as British Columbia when not in breeding season. They breed mostly in central and southern California. There is a large colony just south of San Francisco at Ano Nuevo. There is a huge difference between the sizes of males and females. Males can grow up to 16 feet long and weigh over 2 tons. Females grow to about 10 feet long and seldom weigh more than one ton. Pic.
Northern fur seals range from California to Alaska and over to Siberia and Japan. There is a also a big difference between the sizes of males and females. Males can grow up to 7 feet long and weigh 500 lbs. Females grow to about 4 feet long and seldom weigh more than a hundred lbs. Pic.
Like the fur seal, Steller's or northern sea-lions are found from southern California up to Alaska and over to Siberia and Japan. Again there is a marked difference in size between males and females. Males grow to about 10 feet long and weigh up to one ton. Females are usually about 6 feet long and weigh around 600 lbs. Pic.
California sea-lions range from Mexico to Vancouver Island. They breed further south but we have them here from August through April. When they are gathered in a crowd on off-shore rocks, their barking can be heard for miles. Again the males are larger than the females. Males average 7 feet long and weigh about 700 lbs. Females are about 5 feet long and weigh only 200 lbs. Pic.
Sea otters live in scattered populations from southern California to the Aleutian Islands. I have only ever seen them in Monterey Bay south of San Francisco. They can grow to between 3 and 5 feet long (including tail) and weigh from 50 to 100 lbs.
I won't include the northern river otter in this post because it is not a marine mammal. I'll cover it when I do a post about the land mammals of Oregon. Actually I'll break that up into several posts because there are too many for one post. I will also be doing a post just about the critters of Robin's Wood ranging all the way from chipmunks to cougars.
Here are a few pics of the sea otter. (I was tempted to post dozens of pics of this playful creature.)
The pics related to this post are uploaded elsewhere but, if you click on the links marked Pic, a new window will open with a pic of the critter. Or you can click here and a new window with all the pics will open.
The largest mammal in Oregon (okay - off the coast of Oregon) is the humpback whale which can grow up to 60 feet long and weigh 50 tons. They are not really an "Oregon mammal" because they are found in all the oceans of the world. Pic.
The grey whale, which grows to 45-50 feet long and can weigh up to 36 tons, is found only in the northern Pacific mostly along the west coast of North America where they migrate up and down between northern Alaska and Baja California. Pic.
Orcas are also not a specifically "Oregon mammal" and occur in all the oceans. They can grow to 30 feet long and weigh 10 tons. Pic.
The Pacific white-sided dolphin is found only in the northern Pacific. They can grow up to 8 feet long and weigh 300 lbs. They are considered a deep-water species but recently have been coming closer to shore. Pic.
Dall's porpoise grows to only about 6 feet long but can weigh over 300 lbs because of its plump orca-like body. They are found only in the northern Pacific, ranging from Baja California north to Alaska and across the Bering Sea into Siberian and Japanese waters. Pic.
Harbor seals can grow up to over 6 feet long and weigh nearly 400 lbs. They live all along the Pacific coast from Alaska to California but are also found in all parts of the northern oceans. Pic.
Northern elephant seals can travel as far north as British Columbia when not in breeding season. They breed mostly in central and southern California. There is a large colony just south of San Francisco at Ano Nuevo. There is a huge difference between the sizes of males and females. Males can grow up to 16 feet long and weigh over 2 tons. Females grow to about 10 feet long and seldom weigh more than one ton. Pic.
Northern fur seals range from California to Alaska and over to Siberia and Japan. There is a also a big difference between the sizes of males and females. Males can grow up to 7 feet long and weigh 500 lbs. Females grow to about 4 feet long and seldom weigh more than a hundred lbs. Pic.
Like the fur seal, Steller's or northern sea-lions are found from southern California up to Alaska and over to Siberia and Japan. Again there is a marked difference in size between males and females. Males grow to about 10 feet long and weigh up to one ton. Females are usually about 6 feet long and weigh around 600 lbs. Pic.
California sea-lions range from Mexico to Vancouver Island. They breed further south but we have them here from August through April. When they are gathered in a crowd on off-shore rocks, their barking can be heard for miles. Again the males are larger than the females. Males average 7 feet long and weigh about 700 lbs. Females are about 5 feet long and weigh only 200 lbs. Pic.
Sea otters live in scattered populations from southern California to the Aleutian Islands. I have only ever seen them in Monterey Bay south of San Francisco. They can grow to between 3 and 5 feet long (including tail) and weigh from 50 to 100 lbs.
I won't include the northern river otter in this post because it is not a marine mammal. I'll cover it when I do a post about the land mammals of Oregon. Actually I'll break that up into several posts because there are too many for one post. I will also be doing a post just about the critters of Robin's Wood ranging all the way from chipmunks to cougars.
Here are a few pics of the sea otter. (I was tempted to post dozens of pics of this playful creature.)
posted by Joubert at 7:48 AM
The Alliance
<< Home