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Sea otter
Southern sea otters are the California subspecies. At Elkhorn Slough near Moss Landing, use binoculars from shore to look for dark heads in the channel or animals floating on their backs. An otter can bring a hard-shelled meal to the surface and open it against a stone.
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Harbor seal
A harbor seal resting at Elkhorn Slough may look like a smooth, spotted lump until it turns its head. Look for a rounded head and no visible ear flap. A sea lion has a visible ear flap and can prop itself up on longer front flippers. In spring, give seal mothers and pups especially generous room.
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California sea lion
Listen for barks near the harbor breakwater in Monterey, where sea lions haul out together. They can be seen year-round around the bay, with more adults returning from breeding grounds in fall. A visible ear flap and long front flippers help separate one from a harbor seal. The flippers also let sea lions lift their chests well clear of the ground.
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Northern Elephant Seal
Start with the viewing areas at Piedras Blancas or Año Nuevo. Winter brings breeding adults and pups to shore, and seals also return at other times of year to molt. Adult males have a large, drooping nose. Females and young animals lack that feature, so look at the different sizes together on the beach.
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Gray whale
Watch for a blow from a Monterey Bay headland during the winter migration south. The return journey runs through spring, when mothers and calves can travel close to shore. Look for a mottled gray back with a low ridge and a series of bumps in place of a tall dorsal fin.
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Humpback whale
In Monterey Bay, humpbacks feed from spring well into fall. From shore, scan for blows or groups of seabirds working over the same small patch of water. Watch for the whale to lift its tail before a dive. If you get a good look through binoculars, long flippers and a knobby head are other clues.
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Blue whale
Blue whales can feed on krill in the offshore waters of Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary in summer. Their enormous length is usually easier to imagine than to take in during one surfacing. Look for a tall blow, then a long roll of blue-gray back before the small dorsal fin appears.
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Common bottlenose dolphin
Scan beyond the breakers along the Southern California coast. Coastal bottlenose dolphins can travel quite near shore, with a curved dorsal fin breaking the surface. If you get a look at the head, a short, thick beak distinguishes the shape from the finer snout of a common dolphin.
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Brown pelican
From a pier or bluff, you may see brown pelicans travel in single file just above the waves. When they find fish, they can fold their wings and plunge headfirst. The large bill and throat pouch confirm the identification even when a juvenile lacks the contrasting head colors of an adult.
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Black oystercatcher
On a rocky central California shore, look for a dark bird with a long, bright orange-red bill near the waterline. Its loud, piping calls carry above wave noise. Watch from farther back as the bird works the rocks for mussels or other shellfish.
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Brandt's cormorant
Dark cormorants gather on the rocky Monterey Bay coast in spring. A breeding Brandt’s has a bright blue throat patch bordered by pale feathers, especially striking when it lifts its head in display. Outside breeding season the patch is less obvious, so look for the pale area on the throat.
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Garibaldi (fish)
An adult garibaldi is bright orange, a color that stands out over the rocky reefs around Catalina Island and La Jolla. Young fish can show brilliant blue spots. The fish tends to stay around structure, so look along the edge of a reef when the water is clear.
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Leopard shark
Look for dark saddle-shaped blotches across the back of this slender shark. Groups of females gather in shallow water around La Jolla Shores in summer, where clear conditions make them easier to see. Give any shark you spot room to continue along the sandy bottom.
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Bat ray
A broad pair of triangular fins frames the little head of a bat ray. It can glide above sand or mud and search the bottom for shellfish. Look for the diamond-like outline in sheltered coastal waters such as Elkhorn Slough, where a ray resting against the bottom is easy to overlook.
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Strongylocentrotus purpuratus
In a rocky pool, check the cracks for purple sea urchins, round animals covered in short spines. Several may sit close together where a crevice offers shelter. See how many you can pick out from the edge of the pool while keeping your hands out of the water.
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Pisaster ochraceus
An ochre sea star has five broad arms and a rough surface. Look on rocks exposed by low tide, and watch for purple, brown, or orange individuals. Check beneath an overhang by changing your angle and leave the sea star and the rocks in place.
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Anthopleura xanthogrammica
Look into a submerged pocket for a giant green anemone, an open green disk edged with a ring of tentacles. Out of the water, the same anemone can fold inward and look like a rounded lump. The change explains why a pool may look emptier at first glance than it is.
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California mussel
A band of dark, tightly packed shells on wave-washed rock is a good place to look for California mussels. They anchor with strong threads and grow close together, leaving small spaces that other shore animals can inhabit. On an exposed coast you may see the band long before you get close enough to see individual shells.
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