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Haliotis sp.
Young abalone with a shell size of less than 3 cm take shelter within the spines of sea urchins for protection.
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Balanus spp.
Barnacles are hermaphroditic (they have both female and male sex organs).
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Cetorhinus maximus
The basking shark is the second largest species of fish in the world.
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Asterina miniata
When two bat stars bump into each other they begin a slow-motion “arm wrestling” match. Each sea star tries to get its arm on top of the other’s arm.
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Nycticorax nycticorax
Black-crowned night herons feed at night in the same areas that other heron species feed in the day.
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Prionace glauca
The blue shark has one of the largest ranges of all species of sharks.
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Balaenoptera musculus
The blue whale is the largest living animal.
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Lythrypnus dalli
These peaceful fish are often territorial with members of their own species.
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Sebastes paucispinis
The bocaccio can live up to 45 years.
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Tursiops truncatus
The bottlenose dolphin uses echolocation to find its prey.
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Pelecanus occidentalis
The brown pelican is the smallest of all pelicans and is the only one that plunges from the air into the water to catch its food.
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Aplysia californica
Each Sea hare may lay up to eighty million eggs. However, most of the eggs are eaten by predators.
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Leuresthes tenuis
Unlike other fish, grunion come completely out of the water to lay their eggs in the sand.
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Paralichthys californicus
The California halibut is a flatfish with both eyes on one side of its head!
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Mytilus californianus
While feeding, a mussel filters 2 to 3 quarts of water per hour.
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Scorpaena guttata
The California scorpionfish has venom in its spines.
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Zalophus californianus
Sea lions use their long front flippers to steer and propel themselves through the water.
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Semicossyphus pulcher
The California sheephead are all born as females.
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Raja inornata
The California Skate has a skeleton made completely out of cartilage.
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Panulirus interruptus
California Lobsters do not have front claws.
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Alopias vulpinus
The common thresher shark uses its long tail in a whip-like fashion to deliver incapacitating blows to its prey.
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Phronima sedentaria
The eyes of this amphipod are so large that they make up nearly a quarter of the entire body.
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Aequorea victoria
Crystal jellies can expand their mouth to eat prey half their size!
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Zostera marina
Eel grass is a true plant (not a seaweed) and is one of the few flowering plants that grow in the ocean.
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Uca crenulata
Males have a large claw that they wave back and forth like a fiddler.
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Balaenoptera physalus
The Fin whale is the second largest animal after the blue whale
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Hypsypops rubicundus
Garibaldi is the California State marine fish.
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Hypsypops rubicundus
Garibaldi is the California State marine fish.
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Macrocystis pyrifera
Under ideal conditions, giant kelp can grow about two feet a day.
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Heterostichus rostratus
The giant kelpfish can quickly change color during courtship or territorial displays.
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Stereolepis gigas
This fish is huge, growing over 7.5 feet long and weighing over 500 pounds.
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Pollicipes polymerus
Gooseneck barnacles can live 20 years, or more.
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Eschrichtius robustus
The gray whale is a baleen whale.
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Carcharodon carcharias
The great white shark is capable of explosive bursts of speed and has been known to jump 3 meters (10 feet) out of the water.
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Anthopleura xanthogrammica
Some fishes develop resistance to the green anemone's sting by covering themselves with mucus.
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Phocoena phocoena
The harbor porpoise is one of six species of porpoise
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Phoca vitulina
The Harbor seal is the most widely distributed species of pinniped.
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Pagurus sp.
Hermit crabs protect their rear ends by hiding it in a snail shell.
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Heterodontus francisci
The female horn shark lays a distinctive spiral-shaped egg case.
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Megaptera novaeangliae
The humpback whale has distinct patterns on the tail flukes used to identify individuals.
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Paralabrax clathratus
Kelp bass reproduce by spawning (release egg and sperm into the water column) and form large aggregations in the summer months.
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Orcinus orca
The killer whale, as known as the orca, is the largest dolphin.
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Thysanoessa spinifera
Krill are eaten by whales, seals, penguins, squid and fish.
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Phoebastria immutabilis
The wings of a laysan albatross are adapted to lock open into a wingspan of nearly seven feet.
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Triakis semifasciata
Leopard sharks are bottom feeders and are named because of their stripes.
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Hemisquilla ensigera
Mantis shrimp are not true shrimp, but get their name because of their appearance.
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Limosa fedoa
The marbled godwit has a long, slightly upturned bill with a dark tip and pinkish base.
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Loxorhynchus crispatus
The masking crab decorates itself with bits of algae, sponges and bryozoans.
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Balaenoptera acutorostrata
The minke whale is the smallest of the rorqual whales
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Gymnothorax mordax
This eel's favorite prey is the octopus.
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Norrisia norrisi
These snails travel up and down kelp every day.
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Pisaster ochraceous
These sea stars are able to digest their prey outside of their bodies.
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Squatina californica
The Pacific angel shark superficially looks like a ray, but is a true shark.
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Eptatretus stoutii
Hagfish are considered to be the most primitive species of all living fish.
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Merluccius productus
The Pacific hake can live up to 15 years.
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Scomber japonicus
The Pacific mackerel is also known as the chub mackerel or blue mackerel.
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Sardinops sagax
The Pacific sardine form large schools of up to 10 million fish.
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Hippocampus ingens
The Pacific seahorse reverses traditional birthing roles.
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Strongylocentrotus purpuratus
Sea urchins have tube feet, which they use for attachment, locomotion and feeding.
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Grampus griseus
Adult Risso's dolphins bodies are typically heavily scarred, while calves have little or no scarring
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Xenistius californiensis
These fish have an up-turned mouth to better eat plankton.
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Dendraster excentricus
You can't spend these dollars, they are relatives to sea stars.
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Anisotremus davidsoni
The sargo is the largest of the Pacific grunts.
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Renilla koellikeri
A sea pansy is not a flower, but is an animal that is related to sea jellies.
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Isurus oxyrinchus
The shortfin mako shark is able to elevate its body temperature almost 20°F above the surrounding water.
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Enhydra lutris nereis
Sea otters do not have blubber to keep warm, instead they have very dense fur (up to one million hairs per square inch).
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Physeter macrocephalus
The sperm whale is the largest of the toothed whales and the largest toothed predator.
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Pachygrapsus crassipes
The striped shore crab spends at least half its time on land, but submerges at times to wet its gills.
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Cephaloscyllium ventriosum
When stressed, the swell shark can “swell” by inflating its stomach by swallowing water.
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Eucyclogobius newberryi
The tidewater goby is an endangered species.
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Octopus bimaculoides
Octopus are extremely intelligent and have well-developed eyes.
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Larus occidentalis
The Western gull typically lives about 15 years, but can live to at least 25 years.
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Cryptolepas rhachianecti
Whale barnacles live attached to the skin of whales.
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Atractoscion nobilis
The white seabass is the largest species of croaker in California.
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Tringa semipalmata
The willet is very territorial and will aggressively defend their nesting and feeding territory.
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