Overnight Monterey Trip

 

Where did we go?
We went on an overnight trip to Monterey Bay. On Saturday, we visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium and hiked at Pt. Lobos State Reserve. On Sunday, we kayaked Elkhorn Slough where we saw lots of sea lions and harbor seals. Then we visited Moss Landing Marine Lab.

What did we do?
Preparing for our trip To prepare for our trip, we studied maps of Monterey and learned about marine mammals we would see at the aquarium and in the wild. By the time our trip started we knew about otters, sea lions, elephant seals, harbor seals, and dolphins.

What I liked about the aquarium
I liked when I saw the big tank of the different kinds of fishes. But what stood out the most was the leopard shark. There were about six or five of them. They had spots, that were black and the rest of the body was gray. The eyes where blue. It also had sharp teeth, the teeth are the size of a push pin.
Lela Turner

The aquarium was a real treat for everyone. The kelp forests and all the organisms that live among the kelp were particularly exciting. We saw a scuba diver in the kelp tank outfitted with a special mask that permitted him to talk with the public.

Hiking Point Lobos

Point Lobos State Reserve is a special place with granite outcrops, tide pools, sea bird colonies, sea otters, sea lions and even a harbor seal pupping site. We hiked for miles along the rocky cliffs above the ocean.
Elvia wrote about the harbor seals in her journal.
We found a secluded beach where harbor seals come to rest and nurse their young. The newborn pups seen below are only a few days old.

It’s rather amazing how these seals manage to wiggle their heavy bodies up these rocks using only their bellies, flippers, and tail.

Kayaking

We spent most of Sunday morning kayaking in Elkhorn Slough, where we saw many marine mammals.

Kayaking
It was a fun and exciting trip. As we began I thought it was going to be very hard but, as I started I realized that it was very easy. As we were kayaking we saw some animals like sea otters, harbor seals and sting rays.
Tasia Beach

 
Moss Landing Marine Lab  
After kayaking, tired but happy, we visited a research program at Moss Landing Marine Lab called SLEWTH (Sea Lions Exploring Whales and Their Habitat).We learned about a group of scientists who are training sea lions to assist with ocean research on whales. It was pretty amazing to see how smart and well-trained these animals were—flips, somersaults, clapping their flippers on command…even knowing which kinds of trash to put in the recycle bin!

Jennifer Zeliga and Sake
 

Cool Science Facts
The most common marine mammals along the California coast are harbor seals and California sea lions. These marine mammals are both pinnipeds with fur, long whiskers, flippers, and fat sausage-shaped bodies. They hunt for fish and squid. A closer look will reveal a lot of differences between these common marine mammals.

Sea lions have dark brown fur, visible ear flaps, walk on both their long hind and front flippers, and propel themselves through the water with their long front flippers. They often rest together at favorite "haul out" sites or float together on the ocean surface in "rafts." Groups of sea lions can be very noisy, uttering a dog-like bark. Adult male sea lions are much bigger than adult females. If you’ve ever seen a "seal" show at a zoo, then you have seen a sea lion. These animals are quite intelligent and easily trained (click on the SLEWTH link above to find out more about sea lion intelligence).

Harbor seals have spotted coats and can weigh up to 300 pounds. Unlike sea lions, harbor seals do not have external ear flaps. These animals use their hind flippers to propel themselves through the water, their front flippers being used for steering. Harbor seals have much smaller front flippers compared to the sea lion’s flippers, so they can only move about on land by flopping along their bellies. Harbor seals divide their time evenly on land and water; however, they can sleep in the ocean with their bodies completely submerged except for their nose protruding at the surface.

Sea lions are more assertive around humans compared to harbor seals. Pier 39 in San Francisco, Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf, Monterey Wharf, and Point Lobos State Reserve are great places to view sea lions up close. Although most sea lions migrate down to Southern California during the warmer months (to breed), several hundred sea lions stay at Pier 39 year-round.

Your best chances to see harbor seals in the wild are along somewhat protective rocky coastlines such as the Monterey peninsula and on protected sandbars where they haul out to rest at low tide. Harbor seals are timid yet curious around people. Sailors, fishermen, and divers often spot harbor seals following their boats.

 

Let's Go!
Click on the link below to go to the Monterey Bay Aquarium:
http://montereybayaquarium.org/

Click on the link below to go to website of Point Lobos Reserve.
http://www.pointlobos.org/

Click on the link below for the website to visit the SLEWTH program at Moss Landing Marine Lab.
http://www.mlml.calstate.edu/slewth/