We settled into our home base at the Pajaro Dunes Beach Community near the town of Watsonville on the Monterey Bay. After introductions we explored the beach under blue skies. We encountered sandiggers scurrying up and down the beach, large clumps of bull kelp, several animal carcasses, and watched gray whales off in the distance.
In the evening we had lectures on Monterey Bay and marine mammals, specifically cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) and sea otters by our Principle Investigators, Daniela Maldini and Tom Jefferson.
Monterey Bay is home to a diverse population of marine fauna and flora. It is such a nutrient-rich environment due to a canyon on the ocean floor in the middle of the bay. The nutrients from this deep canyon are brought to the ocean surface through upwelling and feed the phytoplankton and zooplankton which then support the rest of the food chain. Kelp forests are another part of the bay that provide a rich environment for the diverse invertebrate population.
Did you know that orcas (killer whales) are actually not whales at all, but are a type of dolphin? And, did you know that sea otters are part of the weasel family? They have a life span of about 15 years and are only found in the North Pacific Ocean.
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We watched a video of the bottlenose dolphin rushing the shore to feed on fish. Have you observed, or do you know of similar feeding behaviors off the Monterey Coast? Why do they always feed on the right side?
Evan Class VA
Waterford School
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