Blue whale, adult and juvenile (likely mother and calf), swimming together side by side underwater in the open ocean.
Species: Blue whale, Balaenoptera musculus
Image ID: 01964
Aerial photo of gray whale calf and mother. This baby gray whale was born during the southern migration, far to the north of the Mexican lagoons of Baja California where most gray whale births take place.
Species: Gray whale, Eschrichtius robustus
Location: San Clemente, California
Image ID: 29031
Brown pelican, juvenile with blue and gray identification bands on its legs. These tags aid scientists in understanding how the birds travel and recover if they have been rehabilitated. This large seabird has a wingspan over 7 feet wide. The California race of the brown pelican holds endangered species status, due largely to predation in the early 1900s and to decades of poor reproduction caused by DDT poisoning.
Species: Brown Pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis, Pelecanus occidentalis californicus
Location: La Jolla, California
Image ID: 23631
California golden gorgonian and small juvenile sheephead fishes on rocky reef, below kelp forest, underwater. The golden gorgonian is a filter-feeding temperate colonial species that lives on the rocky bottom at depths between 50 to 200 feet deep. Each individual polyp is a distinct animal, together they secrete calcium that forms the structure of the colony. Gorgonians are oriented at right angles to prevailing water currents to capture plankton drifting by.
Species: California golden gorgonian, Muricea californica
Location: San Clemente Island, California
Image ID: 37057
Humpback whale, abandoned calf alongside University of Hawaii research boat. This young calf lived only a few days after being abandoned or separated from its mother, and was eventually attacked by tiger sharks.
Species: Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae
Location: Maui, Hawaii
Image ID: 05979
Pacific harbor seal mother nuzzling her newborn pup, at the edge of the ocean at the Children's Pool in La Jolla. Mothers will nuzzle and touch their young pups frequently to solidify their bond.
Species: Pacific harbor seal, Phoca vitulina richardsi
Location: La Jolla, California
Image ID: 39049