Be Sea Otter Savvy 2: Guidelines for Observing Sea Otters Safely

August 23, 2019 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program ca friends of the sea otter Gena Bentall how to help sea otters marine mammal marine mammal act marine mammal protection morro bay protect sea otters sea otter sea otter savvy seaotter where to find sea otters where to find sea otters in morro bay wildlife disturbance Be Sea Otter Savvy Guest post

The best sea otter picture is one where the sea otters aren’t looking at the camera because they don’t even know you’re there. The photographer who captured this shot stayed quiet and kept far enough away from the otters so they could carry on resting, as they need to do to stay healthy.

This is the second post to our blog series, Be Sea Otter Savvy, written by Gena Bentall, sea otter biologist and Program Coordinator for Sea Otter Savvy. Future posts in this series will include tips on how to help sea otters thrive and information about sea otters’ behavior, biology, and their role in the estuary and ocean ecosystems. When humans and sea otters overlap Disturbance to the natural behavioral patterns of sea otters can occur anywhere that human marine recreation activities and sea otter habitat overlap. Locations like harbors and bays, with easy access to the ocean and calm, …

The Red-Throated Loon and Pacific Wildlife Care

March 8, 2019 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program birds in morro bay Cal Poly Journalism Charlotte Ross estuary program help injured animal marine mammal MBNEP morro bay morro bay estuary morro strand beach pacific wildlife care red-throated loon wildlife rescue Guest post

We found this injured bird, which we later discovered was a red-throated loon, lying injured on the wet sand of Morro Strand Beach.

Guest post by Charlotte Ross Charlotte Ross is a third-year journalism student at Cal Poly. In addition to her major, she is working toward dual minors, one in Spanish and the other in Biology with a concentration in Wildlife and Biodiversity Conservation. Charlotte would like to pursue a career in travel and wildlife reporting so that she can surround herself in nature and see the beauty of the world while writing about it. Outside of work and school, she likes spending time at the beach, hiking, traveling, playing with her dog or chameleon, and watching the sunset in …

Morro Bay Wildlife Spotlight: California Sea Lions in the Estuary

July 27, 2018 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program estuary marine mammal morro bay morro bay national estuary program sea lion seal wildlife spotlight Blog Posts

Sea lions took to the new dock right away.

California sea lions are the largest and fastest marine mammal that live year-round in Morro Bay. They can weigh as much as 860 pounds and swim as fast as 25 miles per hour. They also have between 34 and 38 formidable teeth, including four long canines. They use their teeth to catch their prey, but not to chew it. They swallow their food, mostly fish and squid, whole. Morro Bay’s sea lions have their own dock Sea lions like to rest out of the water on docks or even boats. In a busy harbor like Morro Bay, this habit …