| Pinnipedia characteristics | • Have flipper-shaped hands and feet for swimming
• very thick blubber
• bear young on land |
| Family Otariidae characteristics | • external ear flaps
• Can rotate their rear limbs under their body, lift their head and shoulders above ground
• Can walk on land ok
• Swim by moving forelimbs, use hind limbs for stability |
| Stellar sea lion physical characteristics | • Largest Otariid
• Females ~ 1/3 the weight of males
• Golden brown colour
call is a "roar" |
| What status are BC stellar sea lions? | Special Concern & Blue Listed |
| When and where do stellar sea lions breed? | June and July in outer coast rookeries (e.g., Scott Islands, Cape St. James) |
| Stellar sea lion prey | pollock, hake, dogfish and salmon. Winters = herring and eulachon in Straight of Georgia |
| California sea lion physical characteristics | • Smaller than Stellers
• Fur is dark brown
• Adult males have brow ridge (“indented forehead”)
• Utters a “honking bark” |
| California sea lion diet | hake, herring, salmon |
| Northern fur seal characteristics | • Dense & soft dark gray brown fur
• long whiskers, pointed noses, long hind flippers |
| Northern fur seal status | Red listed, Threatened - Hunted extensively for fur in 1800s |
| Northern fur seal habitat and diet | • Mainly found offshore; occasionally seen in coastal waters
• While in BC, feed on herring & salmon |
| Northern fur seal reproduction and migration | • Breed on Prilobof Island in Berring sea during summer
• Females and juveniles migrate south to California |
| Northern fur seal reproduction and migration | • Breed on Prilobof Island in Berring sea during summer
• Females and juveniles migrate south to California |
| Family Phocidae characteristics | • Cannot rotate hindlimbs under body
• Therefore move awkwardly on land (“wriggle”)
• Swim using their hind limbs and steer with forelimbs
• Lack external ear flaps |
| Harbour seal characteristics | - sexes are similar in size
- Usually mottled grey in appearance |
| Harbour seal diet and habitat | • Opportunistic feeders on several fish
• Pups often left on shore while mother forages
• Found all along BC coast
• Usually seen resting on “haul outs’ (e.g. rocky reefs, sand bars, log booms)
• Apparently little social structure in haul outs |
| Northern elephant seal migration and distribution | • Breed on northern California beaches in winter
• In BC from spring to fall; often seen hauled out on Race Rocks |
| Northern elephant seal feeding | • Feed mainly offshore (dogfish, pollock, hake)
• Excellent deep sea divers |
| Northern elephant seal feeding | • Feed mainly offshore (dogfish, pollock, hake)
• Excellent deep sea divers |
| Order Cetacea characteristics | Lack hind limbs
Nostrils on top of head
Swim using up and down movement of tail |
| Suborder Odontoceti (toothed whales) characteristics | • Have homodont dentition (teeth are all same shape)
• Single blow hole (other nasal passage modified for echolocation)
• Most have a complex social structure |
| How do you tell male and female orcas apart? | Males = Long straight dorsal fin
Females = shorter curved dorsal fin |
| Characteristics of resident killer whales | - very vocal, travel in matrilineal family groups (pods) of 5-50 whales
- 19 pods in BC, each with different dialects
- feed primarily on fish, especially chinook salmon
- divided into northern and southern populations |
| Characteristics of transient killer whales | - smaller groups of 2 to 5 individuals that may or may not be related
- vocalize less than residents; dorsal fins more pointed at tip than residents
- feed exclusively on warm-blooded prey e.g. seals, sea lions and porpoises |
| Characteristics of offshore killer whales | - mainly seen beyond continental shelf; travel in groups of 25 or more
- have different vocalizations than residents and transients
- Rarely seen not much known about their social structure or diet |
| What is the status of each of the killer whale populations in BC? | - Southern resident = Red listed/endangered
- Northern resident = Threatened, Blue listed
- Transient = Threatened, Red listed
- Offshore = Threatened, Blue listed |
| What are some potential reasons for the recent drop in orca populations? | – accumulation of environmental toxins (e.g., PCBs)
– fluctuations in prey species (e.g., decreases in salmon runs)
-- Some concern eco-tourism affecting feeding behaviour |
