Northern Elephant Seals, one of which looks like a fishing line is entangled around its body.
Bald Eagle in flight near Baynes Channel.
Cormorant in flight
Guests, including 3 travelers from Australia, enjoy the spacious top deck of Fastcat
Harbor Seals
Sealions at Race with Victoria in the background
Elephant Seals and Sealions
Guests enjoy a brisk but beautiful April afternoon.
Cpt Trev and Marine Researcher Ron Bates
Cormorants
Majestic Race Rocks Lighthouse
Steller & California Sealions
3 Northern Elephant Seals
Steller and California Sealions hauled out at HelicopterAs we left Victoria harbor this afternoon the sun shone and produced a brisk but beautiful spring day.
We headed out to Race Rocks Marine Reserve where the Marine Wildlife was plentiful. Race Rocks is one of the few places you will find four different species of Pinnipeds in the same area and today we were blessed with sightings of all four species. We saw five female Northern Elephant Seals soaking up the sun as they were hauled out on the rocks. Elephant seals are well named because their large noses resemble an elephant's trunk. Males begin developing this enlarged nose, or proboscis, at sexual maturity (about three to five years), and it is fully developed by seven to nine years. Adult males may grow to over 13 feet (4 m) in length and weigh up to 4,500 pounds (2,000 kg). The females are much smaller at 10 feet (3 m) in length and 1,500 pounds (600 kg). The northern elephant seal is the second largest seal in the world, after the southern elephant seal.
Nearby we counted over 20 Steller and California Sea Lions, the light brown Steller Sea Lions being much larger than the chocolate brown colored California Sea Lions.
Steller or northern sea lions are sometimes confused with California sea lions, but are much larger and lighter in color. Males may grow to 11 feet (3.25 m) in length and weigh almost 2,500 pounds (1120 kg). Females are much smaller, and may grow to nine feet (2.9 m) in length and weigh 1,000 pounds (350 kg). Steller sea lions are light tan to reddish brown in color. They have a blunt face and a boxy, bear-like head. Stellers have a bulky build and a very thick neck, which resembles a lion's mane, hence the name "sea lion." At Race Rocks the Sealions are nearly always males.
We headed out to Race Rocks Marine Reserve where the Marine Wildlife was plentiful. Race Rocks is one of the few places you will find four different species of Pinnipeds in the same area and today we were blessed with sightings of all four species. We saw five female Northern Elephant Seals soaking up the sun as they were hauled out on the rocks. Elephant seals are well named because their large noses resemble an elephant's trunk. Males begin developing this enlarged nose, or proboscis, at sexual maturity (about three to five years), and it is fully developed by seven to nine years. Adult males may grow to over 13 feet (4 m) in length and weigh up to 4,500 pounds (2,000 kg). The females are much smaller at 10 feet (3 m) in length and 1,500 pounds (600 kg). The northern elephant seal is the second largest seal in the world, after the southern elephant seal.
Nearby we counted over 20 Steller and California Sea Lions, the light brown Steller Sea Lions being much larger than the chocolate brown colored California Sea Lions.
Steller or northern sea lions are sometimes confused with California sea lions, but are much larger and lighter in color. Males may grow to 11 feet (3.25 m) in length and weigh almost 2,500 pounds (1120 kg). Females are much smaller, and may grow to nine feet (2.9 m) in length and weigh 1,000 pounds (350 kg). Steller sea lions are light tan to reddish brown in color. They have a blunt face and a boxy, bear-like head. Stellers have a bulky build and a very thick neck, which resembles a lion's mane, hence the name "sea lion." At Race Rocks the Sealions are nearly always males.
California sea lions are known for their intelligence, playfulness, and noisy barking. Their color ranges from chocolate brown in males to a lighter, golden brown in females. Males may reach 1,000 lbs. (more often 850 lbs., or 390 kg) and seven feet (2.1 m) in length. Females grow to 220 lbs. (110 kg) and up to six feet (1.8 m) in length. They have a "dog-like" face, and at around five years of age, males develop a bony bump on top of their skull called a sagittal crest. The top of a male's head often gets lighter with age. These members of the otariid or walking seal family have external ear flaps and large flippers that they use to "walk" on land. The trained "seals" in zoos and aquariums are usually California sea lions.
At Race Rocks we also saw a number of the much smaller Harbor Seals. Harbor seals have spotted coats in a variety of shades from silver-gray to black or dark brown. They reach five to six feet (1.7-1.9 m) in length and weigh up to 300 pounds (140 kg). Males are slightly larger than females. They are true or crawling seals, having no external ear flaps. True seals have small flippers and must move on land by flopping along on their bellies. Harbor Seals are a favorite prey of the Transient Orcas (marine mammal eaters) that transit throught the local area, searching from one haul out area to the next.
After leaving Race Rocks we traveled to Becher Bay and then to Trial Island, the Chain Islands and Discovery & Chatham Island in search of more marine wildlife. Apart from more Harbor Seals we were also fortunate enough to see many Cormorants and at least 2 Bald Eagles.
It was a fantastic day on the water and I enjoyed my first trip of the season as did our many guests who braved the brisk weather for an unforgettable experience in this pristine Marine environment. We are so blessed to have such an oasis of Marine Wildlife on Victoria's doorstep.
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