Species Extinctions
March 25, 1999
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| Gray Whale |
We often hear of the failure of our civilization to preserve and protect the flora and fauna of the earth. Dire forecasts of the disappearance of species -- due mostly to the activities of man -- assail our ears from many news sources. Consequently, it is good news to hear of a few cases where the conservation of endangered species has been a success – where species are being taken off “endangered species” lists. Maybe the west coast of the United States has led the way in providing the tools and the motivation for the prevention of species extinctions. The California Gray Whale is one of the first species that comes to mind. It was hunted to near extinction but is now protected and relatively abundant. Surely, whales are now more profitable as a tourist attraction than they could have been if the few remaining individuals had been hunted and killed for oil and food. But little did the early conservationists realize the economic benefits that would result from whale conservation. They found it difficult to sell the idea of whale conservation to the public. They probably had little idea that conservation would ultimately prove to be profitable because lots of folks want to see whales and are willing to pay for the opportunity. Now profitable whale-watching companies benefit from the forward-thinking individuals who first proposed that we conserve whales – generally against a public hostile to the idea.
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| Elephant Seal |
Another marine animal that has made a remarkable comeback from near extinction is the Northern Elephant Seal. You know, the big guy with a short, elephant-like trunk and bad breath. While on-shore and making babies the huge (the mature male may weigh from 6000 to 8000 pounds) males do not eat during this time and rely on body fat. According to one theory, food remaining in their mouths from the last feeding upon squid begins to rot causing the bad breath. According to John Prince, our Elderhostel lecturer, Elephant Seals are oversexed and ill-tempered. They will attempt to mate with such small females that the little girls are sometimes crushed to death. When they are not sleeping, they are either fighting or mating. Bulls rip at each other's throats so that a mature male’s throat and upper chest is solid scars. When the large males are fighting, they often trample and kill young Elephant Seals. A few years ago, one of the few places where the public could easily see Elephant Seals was at Ano Nuevo State Recreation Area near Santa Cruz, CA. To see the seals, it has been necessary to make reservations months in advance. But the numbers of Elephant Seals have increased so rapidly that they have established new colonies. If you wish to see the males, females or babies, maybe the best place to see them is at the W. H. Hearst Memorial State Beach near the Hearst Castle. When we visited there recently, most of the males and mothers had returned to the sea and the calves were left to fend for themselves. They were fat, roly-poly little rascals with big eyes. They live off their fat for a while, then enter the ocean and learn to fend for themselves. The beach is very close to coastal Highway 1, so sometimes the seals get on the highway and add their part to California highway congestion. One lady walked on the beach, found a baby irresistible and began to pet it. Good thing mama was not around.
Apparently, the main breeding colony of Elephant Seals can be found on San Miguel Island, South West of Santa Barbara, CA. According to John Prince, up to 8,000 Elephant Seals can be found there, together with up to 25,000 Northern Fur Seals, Guadalupe Fur Seals, Harbor Seals and California Sea Lions. The Stellar Sea Lion can no longer be found in Southern California apparently because overfishing of Hake (a fish) has severely diminished their primary food source.
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| Sea Otter |
Another species that is making a comeback is the Southern Sea Otter. The Northern Sea Otter is relatively abundant off the coast of Alaska. But the Southern Sea Otter was once thought to be extinct. However, it survived someplace and there are now about 2400 in the Central California area. Russians and others once killed up to 400,000 of these otters in the Channel Island area for their fur. This fur was very desirable because it has great insulating properties against the wet and cold of Russian winters. About 1 million hairs are found per square inch and must be kept very clean by the seal or the fur begins to lose some of its insulating properties. The sexes can be separated because the female has a pink nose. While mating, the male gives the female a love bite on the nose which results in a pink scar.
At Morro Rock near San Luis Obispo, we watched a mother and her baby near the jetty as the tide was going out. With her baby on her chest, she would swim upstream and release the baby to float on its own while she dove for food. When she came up the baby might be 50 yards downstream. She would swim to the baby, place it on her chest and start the process all over again. They were very near the shore so we could see the process very clearly. Several professional-type photographers were there too, recording the little drama on film.
While we may complain that the water on the beaches of California are too cold for swimming and the surf is rough and dangerous, maybe we are expecting too much. If the water were warm there would be little of the Giant Kelp which provides food and shelter for many coastal animals. During the recent El Nino, kelp on the southern fringes of its range died in the warm water. It is the cold water and rough conditions that are requisites for the survival of the amazing flora and fauna of this fascinating part of the world. Prospects look very good for the survival of many species that were once on the verge of extinction. Maybe the human species is not as irresponsible as was once thought. Maybe we can really learn to exist with nature rather than destroying it.
Note: Much of the information used here is from a lecture by John French during a Elderhostel program at Santa Barbara, CA. Any errors that may have crept into my notes are likely due to the fact that my hearing is rather poor and should not be blamed on John’s excellent and interesting presentations.
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