Blue whales can be seen swimming and feeding off the California coast from mid-June through October when krill is abundant. Blue whales are endangered globally and the Sanctuary is considered an extremely important habitat for these whales as critical feeding grounds.
Habitat: Open ocean
Range: Global
Avg. Size: ~70-90 ft; recorded up to 100ft.
Diet: Krill (up to 2-4 tons per day)
Fun Fact: Blue whales are the largest animal to ever live!
Photo: NOAA
Fin whales can be found in the Sanctuary during summer months but can be difficult to spot, spending most of their time at depths of around 650-800 ft. Like blue whales, they are listed as endangered and the Sanctuary is an important feeding ground for these large whales.
Habitat: Open ocean
Range: Global
Avg. Size: ~75-85 ft
Diet: Plankton; small fish & invertebrates
Fun Fact: Fin whales feed their young approximately every 10 minutes for the first 6-7 months of life!
Photo: NOAA Fisheries
The North Pacific population segment of humpback whales can be seen feeding in the Sanctuary during spring through fall months as they feed in California waters before traveling south to warmer calving grounds in the winter. The Sanctuary is considered a habitat of extreme importance to humpback whales as critical feeding grounds.
Habitat: Open ocean and nearshore
Range: North Pacific
Avg. Size: ~45-50 ft
Diet: Krill and small fish
Fun Fact: Humpback whales are known to breach more than other large whales, often jumping and slapping the water with their fins. Research shows this could be a form of communication.
Photo: Bob Talbot, NOAA
The Sanctuary is considered a very important habitat for the Eastern North Pacific population segment of gray whales. Look for a heart-shaped blow to spot these whales during winter and spring months as they travel between summer feeding grounds in the Arctic to winter calving grounds in Mexico. Join one of our upcoming Gray Whale Watching Sanctuary Explorations.
Habitat: Shallow coastal waters
Range: Alaska to Baja California, Mexico
Avg. Size: ~40-50 ft
Diet: Amphipods and other benthic invertebrates
Fun Fact: Gray whales are bottom-feeders. To feed, they swim slowly along the ocean floor, sucking up sediment and food and filtering it through their baleen.
Photo: Douglas Croft/Douglas Croft Images
The Sanctuary is classified as an extremely important habitat for Pacific white-sided dolphins. Traveling in large pods of up to 1,000 individuals, they can be seen playfully jumping and spinning at the surface and in the wake of boats in offshore waters.
Habitat: Open ocean
Range: Found in temperate waters across the northern portion of the Pacific Ocean from eastern Asia to the west coast of the United States.
Avg. Size: ~5.5-8 ft
Diet: Squid and small schooling fish like anchovies, herring, and sardines
Fun Fact: Pacific white-sided dolphin can live more than 40 years!
Photo: Chad King, NOAA MBNMS
Common bottlenose dolphins are year-round residents of the Sanctuary and can be seen close to shore outside the breaker. They can even be spotted in the San Francisco Bay!
Habitat: Coastal
Range: Global, with various population segments; the segment found in Sanctuary waters typically ranges from Mexico to just north of San Francisco.
Avg. Size: ~6-13 ft
Diet: Fish, squid, and various crustaceans
Fun Fact: Common bottlenose dolphins can live up to 50 years! Like other dolphins, they are highly social and spend their lives in pods made up of close and extended family members.
Photo: NOAA
Short-beaked common dolphins are extremely gregarious and while they typically travel in groups of up to 30, they can be seen traveling in schools of hundreds to thousands. They are known to be very active at the surface, frequently leaping out of the water and riding bow waves of vessels for a long periods of time.
Habitat: Primarily open ocean, shelf
Range: Global in tropical, subtropical, and warmer temperate waters
Avg. Size: ~6 ft
Diet: Small schooling fish, squid, octopus
Fun Fact: Short-beaked common dolphins typically feed at night and while they tend to hover around 100 ft, they can dive to over 1,000 ft deep to find food.
Photo: Steve Lonhart, NOAA MBNMS
Long-beaked common dolphins can be found in the Sanctuary year-round in shallow waters to areas over the continental shelf, typically in groups of around 100, although they have been seen in what are known as “super pods” of up to 5,000!
Habitat: Shelf, coastal
Range: Global in tropical, subtropical, and warmer temperate waters
Avg. Size: ~6-8.5 ft
Diet: Small schooling fish, squid, octopus
Fun Fact: While once thought to be the same species as the short-beaked common dolphin, long-beaked common dolphins have a noticeably longer beak and a longer, narrower head.
Photo: Chad King, NOAA MBNMS
The Sanctuary is considered an extremely important habitat for northern right whale dolphins. Although not commonly seen as they tend to remain offshore, they can be found in the Sanctuary traveling in groups of hundreds or even thousands of individuals.
Habitat: Open ocean off the shelf, typically in deep, colder waters
Range: North Pacific
Avg. Size: ~6.5-10 ft
Diet: Small fish, squid, octopus
Fun Fact: The northern right whale dolphin is the only dolphin species in the North Pacific Ocean lacking a dorsal fin.
Photo: Abe Borker
Striped dolphins are among the most abundant and widespread dolphins in the world. They can be found year-round in the Sanctuary often in tight groups of 10-25 but have been seen in “super pods” in the hundreds or thousands. These dolphins are capable of diving to over 2,000 ft deep to feed!
Habitat: Open ocean
Range: Global in tropical and temperate waters
Avg. Size: ~8-9 ft
Diet: Fish, squid, octopus, and small crustaceans
Fun Fact: Striped dolphins display a unique behavior called “roto-tailing,” where they vigorously rotate their tails when leaping out of the water.
Photo: NOAA Fisheries
Risso’s dolphins can be found in the Sanctuary year-round typically in groups of between 10-30 swimming at the surface, though they have been seen traveling alone, in pairs, or in “super pods” of hundreds or thousands. They have a distinctive appearance with scars covering their body from teeth of other dolphins and the beaks of squid, a primary food source.
Habitat: Open ocean, shelf
Range: Global in tropical, subtropical, and warmer temperate waters
Avg. Size: ~8.5-13 ft
Diet: Fish, squid, octopus
Fun Fact: Risso’s dolphins can dive to 1,000 feet and hold their breath for up to 30 minutes!
Photo: Douglas Croft
There are three distinct subtypes of killer whale found in the world: Resident, Transient, and Offshore. While all three can be seen traveling through the Sanctuary, Transient killer whales, which feed primarily on marine mammals, are the type most commonly seen. They are typically spotted during spring and fall months. The Southern Resident population is considered endangered.
Habitat: Open ocean, coastal
Range: Global, varied for subtypes
Avg. Size: ~22-32 ft
Diet: Transient killer whales primarily eat marine mammals; Resident and Offshore killer whales primarily eat fish
Fun Fact: Female killer whales can live up to 90 years!
Photo: Steve Lonhart, NOAA MBNMS
The Sanctuary is considered a habitat of extreme importance to harbor porpoises. They can be seen year-round in Sanctuary waters nearshore and in bays and sanctuaries, often in pods in aggregations of up to ~200! They are even commonly found in San Francisco Bay.
Habitat: Coastal, bays, estuaries, harbors, and fjords
Range: Temperate and subarctic waters of North Pacific, North Atlantic, and the Black Sea
Avg. Size: ~5-6 ft
Diet: Small fish, schooling fish such as herring and mackerel
Fun Fact: Harbor porpoises are one of the smallest cetaceans. They tend to be shy and unlike some of their dolphin cousins, they are not inclined to approach boats or bow ride.
Photo: Creative Commons, Pixabay
The Sanctuary is considered a habitat of extreme importance to Dall’s porpoises as feeding and breeding grounds. They can be seen year-round in Sanctuary waters nearshore and are even known to approach boats to ride on the waves from the wake!
Habitat: Open ocean, nearshore
Range: North Pacific
Avg. Size: ~7-8 ft
Diet: Small fish, cephalopods, and crustaceans
Fun Fact: Like many cetaceans, Dall’s porpoises are very social. They tend to stay in groups of up to 12, but gather in much larger groups when feeding of up to 200 individuals.
Photo: Greg Schechter, Flickr
The Sanctuary is classified as a very important habitat for California sea lions as breeding and feeding grounds. California sea lions can be seen on sandy and rocky beaches along the Sanctuary coastline or swimming at the surface near shore. Keep an eye out for pups during summer months, but be sure to keep a safe distance!
Habitat: Rocky beach, sandy beach, nearshore
Range: British Columbia, Canada to Baja California, Mexico
Avg. Size: Females: ~5-6 ft, up to ~220 lbs; Males: ~7-8 ft, up to ~850 lbs
Diet: Squid, octopus, herring, rockfish, mackerel, and small sharks
Fun Fact: While less agile on land, California sea lions can swim at speeds up to 25 miles per hour!
Photo: Suzi Eszterhas
Steller sea lions are federally listed as endangered, and the Sanctuary is considered a habitat of extreme importance to their survival. Though not as abundant as California sea lions, they are found in the Sanctuary on rocky and sandy beaches, on the Farallon Islands, or swimming at the surface near shore. Pups can be seen during summer months; remember to keep a safe distance!
Habitat: Rocky beach, sandy beach, nearshore
Range: North Pacific
Avg. Size: Females: ~8-9 ft, up to 1,000 lbs; Males: ~10-11 ft, up to 2,500 lbs
Diet: Variety of fish and invertebrates
Fun Fact: Steller sea lions have a distinctive low-frequency vocalization that sound like a roar!
Photo: Bob Wilson, GFA
The Sanctuary is considered very important habitat for Northern fur seals as breeding and feeding grounds. Adult Northern fur seals spend more than 300 days per year (about 80 percent of their time) at sea, traveling in the North Pacific Ocean, and seasonally breeding on six islands including the South Farallon Island. If you spot one, be cautious—they are very territorial!
Habitat: Rocky beach, sandy beach, nearshore, open ocean
Range: North Pacific, Bering Sea
Avg. Size: Females: ~5 ft, up to 130 lbs; Males: ~7 ft, up to 600 lbs
Diet: Small schooling fish, squid, octopus
Fun Fact: Northern fur seals have very thick fur with ~300,000 hairs per square inch!
Photo: Wikipedia Commons
Guadalupe Island off the coast of Mexico is the primary breeding location for Guadalupe fur seals, and they primarily inhabit waters off Mexico and Southern California. However, small numbers can be found in Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary and historically as far north as Alaska.
Habitat: Rocky shore, islands, coastal
Range: Guadelupe Island, Mexico to Alaska
Avg. Size: Females: ~5 ft, up to 110 lbs; Males: ~7 ft, up to 400 lbs
Diet: Small schooling fish, squid
Fun Fact: Guadalupe fur seals were thought to be extinct until a small population was discovered on Guadalupe Island in the 1920s.
Photo: NOAA Fisheries
The Sanctuary is considered a habitat of extreme importance to harbor seals. They can be found most commonly in less populated areas and protected beaches and bays. They are shy, and if approached by humans, they will likely become scared and swim away. So be sure to keep your distance and avoid disturbance!
Habitat: Nearshore coastal, rocky islands, sandy beaches, bays, estuaries
Range: Temperate waters of North America, Europe, and Asia
Avg. Size: ~5-6 ft
Diet: Various fish, shellfish, crustaceans
Fun Fact: Most harbor seal pups can crawl and even swim within hours of birth!
Photo: Wikipedia Commons
The Sanctuary is considered extremely important for Northern elephant seals as feeding and breeding grounds. Their breeding season begins during December and ends in mid-March. Join an Elephant Seal Walk Sanctuary Exploration for a naturalist-led venture to view these massive marine mammals and their young (from a safe distance!).
Habitat: Sandy beach, offshore islands
Range: Eastern and central North Pacific Ocean
Avg. Size: Females: ~8-12 ft, up to 1,900 lbs; Males: ~13-16 ft, up to 5,100 lbs
Diet: Various benthic fish, swell sharks, spiny dogfish, eels, squid
Fun Fact: Elephant seals are one of the deepest diving marine mammals. They have been recorded diving to ~4,000 ft!
Photo: Mike Baird, NOAA
Habitat: Coastal, shallow waters, kelp forest
Range: Central California to Santa Barbara
Avg. Size: ~3.5-4.5 ft
Diet: Crabs, snails, urchins, clams, abalone, mussels, other invertebrates
Fun Fact: Sea otters have the densest fur of all mammals, with more than a million hairs per square inch!
Photo: Steve Lonhart, NOAA MBNMS
Habitat: Marine and fresh water; streams, rivers, lakes, ponds, marshes
Range: Throughout North America
Avg. Size: ~2.5-5 ft
Diet: Fish, frogs, crayfish, turtles, insects, occasionally small mammals
Photo: Steve Lonhart, NOAA MBNMS