Monthly Archives: December 2001

Report on Pearson College and Race Rocks Activities Dec 2002

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December 16  Report
Race Rocks Marine Biology Project
By Garry Fletcher
Faculty Member, Lester B. Pearson College
Ecological reserve Warden for Race Rocks.
Education Director, racerocks.com

This report outlines the activities of the Race Rocks Marine Biology Program at Lester Pearson College from December 15, 2001 to December 15, 2002. During this second year of the Richard Ivey Foundation’s three-year commitment to this project, there has been  on-going advancement in our project objectives. Additional funding has been forthcoming this year from the World  Wildlife Fund,  the Georgia Strait Alliance, a private dive charter group and a member of our Race Rocks Advisory Board.  The provincial government has completed a long term lease agreement with us and is assisting us to upgrade the sewage system to a composting system and with repairs to buildings at the islands.
Project Objectives Report
Objective 1: To provide appropriate staffing and a pool of skilled volunteers who are dedicated to monitoring the local marine environment.
    I have continued to devote part of my teaching schedule to educational work involving Race Rocks. I am in constant communication with Mike and Carol Slater, the eco- guardians at Race Rocks as they provide assistance in monitoring the cameras and computers and alert us to any issues involving enforcement of the guidelines of the reserve.
    A further improvement to our Daily Log kept by Mike and Carol was developed this year. We were fortunate to have the volunteer services of Alec Matthews of the software design company WhiteAtom Design, work with us in the development of a database into which the daily observations of Race Rocks are entered. This now runs on a server on the island, with the added advantage being that in the database form, we are able to do reports on selected fields of the database. This makes our reporting to BC Parks and Fisheries more efficient, and allows us to link the content of the database to the resources on the web pages.

    Chris Blondeau, our seafront manager, has been active with the college divers, teaching them underwater camera skills and adding to the underwater video library for the college.  We have made a video of one of the incidents that Chris was involved with while assisting with the ongoing public education role which we conduct with the local community in the monitoring and enforcement of infractions in the reserve. http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/archives/vidfishing.htm
    My two colleagues in the biology and environmental systems department Catrin Brown and Laura Verhegge have incorporated a number of the resources of the website and Race Rocks into their teaching program. We were able to webcast live two of their low-tide field labs last spring. A video was added to the education section of the archives that shows Laura’s first year environmental System classes doing their final exam at Race Rocks. http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/archives/videxam2002a.htm
    The popularity among the students of the “new media” approach in education has led to an increase in demand for facilities to do video editing on campus. Examples of producing video on-line provided by the racerocks.com experience, led one of the students in the racerocks.com activity to produce video clips of our annual “One World Show .
I gave this same student a video camera when he went home to Kenya this summer. He was able to take his skills learned in the webcasting experience from racerocks.com activity and produce several excellent videos of the life of the children in rural Kenya. In the new year, the students of the activity  will be live webcasting a bi-weekly program presenting events of the week at Pearson College.
    The college has been able to set up a new computer media room for students to work on other video editing projects.  Adding this option for our students has been a valuable spin off of the racerocks.com program. Sylvia Roach, another science faculty member is supervising the students involved with this option.  We were also fortunate to be able to hire Scott Nichol this year. He is a software and web specialist who also helps us in sorting out some of the technical problems with the computers at Race Rocks.

Objective 2. To supplement environmental monitoring through 24 hr video monitoring through the racerocks.com website.  Our cameras and computers set up in the Millennium project have served us well in providing continual live access to the islands resources through live streaming video.
    In January of 2002, we were introduced by our contacts in Apple, to the computer software company Channelstorm and their software “LiveChannel” which  we now use in webcasting on several of the cameras. http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/rrcom/livechannel/livechannel.htm
I worked extensively in collaboration with the software engineers of the company to adapt the webcasting software to our application. They have freely provided us with the software as they are able to use our site as a valuable example of the success of their software.  After going through several Beta versions of the software, we now have a very useful tool for involving creative input from the students for our webcasts.  On campus we have used it to broadcast the weekly International Affairs program and have webcast two evening performances for the International Day presentations on campus. At Race Rocks, we use it in the live webcasts from the portable camera and the students of the racerocks.com activity have developed expertise in this software and are now interested in expanding their use of it to provide a bi-weekly live web cast which will be a presentation of events of the week at the college.

Objective 3: To educate Pearson College students about the marine environment and to involve these students in a direct stewardship experience.  
    In October, our college hosted the CISTA  schools conference. Four of the students of the racerocks.com activity gave 6 workshop presentations to the delegates.  Their topic was the use of technology for Environmental Conservation as a method of Community Action. Since the delegates were made up of teachers and students from across Canada, the US and Latin America, they experienced a great interchange of questions and ideas. It was clear that the “ownership“ of the racerocks.com process, gave our students confidence in their role as environmental stewards, and this was clearly evident to the participants.
    During our November Project week, this year, three of our first year students stayed at Race Rocks producing daily programs about the wildlife and the ecosystems of the island. They also were trained at  that time to operate the MPA when our eco- guardians are on leave. As a result of their work several videos have been added to the archives. Two of the students had been in the racerocks.com activity , and the other student was already familiar with the editing video program so that they were able to do the video and editing work in the making of the following QuickTime movies.

Daily Duties For Assistants to the MPA Guardian
http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/archives/viddailyduties.htm
Tidal Variation at Race Rocks at http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/archives/vidrrtides.htm
Race Rocks Tour: with an English Version,  an Arabic Version , and a German Version at http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/archives/vidrrvirtourara.htm
    For some time we have been concerned with the effects of the demolition blasting at the nearby Department of National Defence facilities on the marine mammal and bird populations at Race Rocks.  It has been our belief that mitigation of this impact could be done by controlled levels of blasting and proper timing. On November 7, 2002, the DND were still doing their demolition blasting exercises at Bentinck Island. These students were able to video the images of the impact of these blasts on the first day from the science centre window and on the second day from the top of the light tower. In the tower, they interviewed Mike Demarchi of LGL who is currently doing a contract for the Department of National Defense to monitor the impact of these blasts and to compare them with other disturbances at Race Rocks. This video will help in public education and is now included in our marine mammal archives at: http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/archives/vidlionblasts.htm  In doing the work, they had a keen sense of the role that they were providing in terms of our on-going stewardship of the island  and they felt they had contributed by this process.
    The spring 2002 field lab program was completed with involvement of the following students in direct contact at Race Rocks.
    Spring 2002- 40 Biology first year students in three classes were involved in field research at Race Rocks. They did a population study in tidepools and an invertebrate survey.
    Spring 2002- 30 students of Environmental Systems did  several field labs on intertidal transect methods.
    Fall 2002- In orientation week ten students  were involved in a program of interpreting Race Rocks Live by webcasts for an afternoon at Race Rocks.  These webcasts were viewed by other students as an introduction to Race Rocks
    These environmental systems students also did their final exam on the island in May of 2002 and
    Fall 2002 – 36 students in first year biology did an introductory field survey at Race Rocks.

    In May 27 of 2002, I was invited to participate as a finalist in the New Media Awards ceremony in Toronto, having been nominated in the category of Educator of the Year.
    While there, I was able to visit the offices of the World Wildlife Fund  in support of an application for funding from this organization. Visits were also made to the Ontario Science Centre  and the Royal Ontario Museum to investigate the possibility of getting our educational resources available through the internet to these institutions.

Objective 4: To lead environmental field trips for local school children to Race Rocks.  Our school trips have been reduced to lessen the impact on the island but we have continued with using a system of student “reporters” from a school :
    In June three groups of such  students went with us to Race Rocks  where our students provided an informative introduction to ecology of the organisms at Race Rocks. This 17 minute video shows the kinds of experiences they have while out in the field, http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/archives/vidwestmont2a.htm
The complete webcast went live to their schools and to other schools who could be on line. We also re-webcast the tapes of the sessions several times.
Objective 5: To facilitate marine education programs for schools across the country and internationally through racerocks.com
    In March a major project was undertaken at the request of the Apple Learning Interchange. Apple Computers were planning to set up a “Gallery of Best Practices” on their website.  We were invited to provide the resource materials detailing our innovations at Race Rocks for this special website.  Race Rocks  is currently the featured exhibit and can be found from the education links to the Apple Learning Interchange at http://ali.apple.com/
The gallery is set up to encourage others to try to incorporate this form of resource into their own instructional program.
An outline of the exhibit follows:
Introduction:  I provide an introduction by video of the way that Apple Learning Interchange is providing the distribution network making it possible for thousands of student connections per week.  I explain that this exhibit will provide you with a glimpse of our educational programs, the technology that makes it possible, as well as ideas to help use our resources in your classroom.
The Lesson : Here you will find an example learning activity that we use in our curriculum entitled: “A Project to Establish a Digital Taxonomic File.” We have also included a learning activity contributed from the Apple Learning Interchange which may give you ideas on how to use our live video streams and web resources in your classroom.  A weblink to an index of files that may be useful for statistics labs in biology or environmental systems and a link to the new section on resources for the Jason project are included.
Assessment : As well as showing the video on the environmental systems exam, a video with Garry and Laura discussing assessment is included: “ Every Field Lab in which the students are involved at Race Rocks becomes part of a portfolio of student work which is graded according to a number of criteria, as suggested by the International Baccalaureate Science Syllabi. We are particularly concerned with observational and interpretational skills, although manipulation, attitude, and planning skills may also be assessed. This first video presents a short discussion on assessment between Garry Fletcher and Laura Verhegge, faculty members in Biology and Environmental Systems at Lester B. Pearson College.
Student Work : In this file Example Student Research videos are highlighted. Rocks Island is a valuable component of the IB Environmental Systems and IB Biology curriculum at Pearson College of the Pacific. This island research center makes it possible to immerse students in real inquiry as they investigate ecosystems both on the surface of the island and below the surface of the surrounding water. Students work in small groups often with visiting scientists adding to the growing knowledge about life at Race Rocks. It is also possible for students at remote schools to participate in observational research and to join live reports by the students and staff at Pearson
Reflections : Video segments of students  and the faculty discussing their experiences  are provided.
Administrative Support: Angus Matthews provides an administrators perspective on the program, encouraging other educational administrators to take the leap and get involved in programs like this because of the spin-offs possible to other aspects of education.
Resources: This site summarizes the links to the racerocks.com website which relate to education in four areas
A)    Race Rocks Ecosystems
B)    B) History of Race Rocks
C)    Video
D)    Communications
http://www.uwc.ca/racerock/aliassets/resources.htm

Technology: I use an annotated slide show, to explain how one can use Apple streaming technology to share their local ecosystem with the world. By following through the process of how we use technology on the islands,  a model is presented for similar projects as part of educational programs elsewhere.
Background :Maps showing location and a profile of the history of the racerocks.com project are provided in this section.

    In the fall of 2002 we took on an added responsibility, that of being the Canadian content provider for the Jason Project . http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/jason/jasonproject.htm
With Assistance from the Jason Foundation, we hired Jane Johnston, to do the middle school level curriculum level work to bring together the resources of our site into Lesson Plans. These are now being made available on our website and are linked to the Jason website which is subscribed to by 70,000 teachers in the US.

Special curriculum guides are being developed for:
1.    Geology and Geography (Abiotic Characteristics at Race Rocks), http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/jason/abiotic/t_instr.html
2.    Preserving the Past and Present Culture of Race Rocks (The Thirteen Moons), http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/jason/firstnations/t_intro.html
3.    Maintaining our Coastal Ecosystems (An Ethology),
4.    The Northern Abalone, http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/jason/abal_seastar/t_info.html
5.    Pinnipeds, http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/jason/pinnipeds/seal_sealion_differ.htm
6.    Conservation.

    The production of the Race Rocks taxonomy is a curriculum development event that has consumed a great amount of my time this past year. http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/eco/taxalab/taxonomy.htm
This is a collaborative project with students and we have the goal of eventually achieving  a comprehensive linking of all the information and media resources for all the organisms of Race Rocks.   In the late fall and early spring terms 44 biology students contributed their records and 21 Environmental Systems students. This is currently being added to with another 48 biology students and a further 30 environmental systems students in the next term. By the end of next term, our taxonomy index will have grown to almost 150 species.  I emphasize to the students that this “digital legacy” which is a valuable addition to the management of this ecological treasure. These students are all exposed to a varying degree of research in doing these assignments, and it is anticipated that the end product  after several years will be a unique addition to the efforts for conservation of Biodiversity in the area.

Objective 6: To facilitate marine research projects by providing facilities and volunteers at Race Rocks.
    Three current first year students from Pearson College and Ryan Murphy, who graduated last year stayed at the Marine Science Centre for the first two weeks of June 2002. http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/rrcom/june02/webcrew.htm
Ryan had returned  to Race Rocks assisted by a research grant from Mt.Allison University  to do research on the macroalgal community. He was able to amass over 400 digital images of the macroalgae of Race Rocks in his underwater and intertidal photography for a digital herbarium project he is doing for the unversioties biology department . He also produced two algal videos  for our archives: http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/archiveplants.htm
The students conducted daily live and prerecorded webcasts with me from the intertidal and from underwater using camera 4.
    For one of the webcasts we were joined by Sean LeRoy, Graduate Researcher, Georgia Basin Futures Project Sustainable Development Research Institute, University of British Columbia and Dr.James Tansey also of UBC. They came to participate in the webcast with Garry and Ryan on Marine Protected Areas in New Zealand and Canada with Tim Langlois, Leigh Marine Laboratory University of Auckland, and Anne Saloman, University of Washington, Zoology Department.
Two university students have completed their Master’s Thesis on Race Rocks with our assistance over the past year.
    Sean Leroy  of the UBC School of Community and Regional planning UBC, mentioned above, did research on Public Process and the Creation of a Marine Protected Area at Race Rocks British Columbia http://www.interchange.ubc.ca/aleroy/Portfolio/549C.html
As members of the Race Rocks Advisory Board, myself and Angus Matthews had provided our insights into the process in interviews he had conducted in the spring of 2002.

    In 2002, Taco Niet finished his Masters degree in the Engineering Department’s Institute for Integrated Energy Systems at the University of Victoria (IESVic)
http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/archives/vidtaco2a.htm
As a result of his work, several visitations have been made with  Individuals and Companies who are interested in promoting the use of Alternate Energy at Race Rocks.  Currently the Friends of Renewable Energy, BC (forebc.com) has taken up with the considerable enthusiasm the idea of a renewable energy cooperative and representatives will be making a site visit with me next week.

    We have continued to provide assistance to Dr. Anita Brinckmann-Voss for her hydroid research. In July, I assisted another researcher who was working on hydrocoral to get samples from Race Rocks.  Alberto Lindner is a Brazilian student in a Masters program in Duke University. He is now involved in analyzing the samples to determine if through DNA evidence, the two color morphs of Allopora can be designated as separate species or whether as can be determined by standard methods, they are actually the same species. His report and his masters thesis on this will be linked to this website when he is finished. http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/archives/vidlindner.htm

Objective 7:  Facilitate marine research projects by providing data from video cameras and data sensors that can be accessed through racerocks.com.
Some progress on this objective has been achieved, although accessing of all the environmental data through the internet is still being worked on. It is anticipated that this feature will take on added impetus in the next term.

Two other reports that also give an indication of our role in the operation and stewardship of the MPA  may be found on-line at:
http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/admin/may02update.htm
and at
http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/admin/aug02update.htm

 

Orcas out

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Sunday, December 16, 2001
MARINE LIFE: 4 Bald Eagles visited the Reserve today,3 immatures and one mature.The first one(mature) arrived just after 9:30 this morning with it’s breakfast-an unidentified fish -grasped in it’s talons. The big bird set down on the NW bluff just above the boat house to eat. As the eagle tore off pieces of fish the 5 crows danced around it, wary, but anxious to get any bits that scattered.After only 5 or 6 minutes the eagle flew off leaving the crows to scour the rocks for any scraps however tiny! I did not see anything that would have scared the eagle,certainly not the crows!
Just after 10 a.m. a lone California Sea Lion came ashore just east of the boat dock and proceeded to lumber across the island stopping every 3 metres or so to roll and rub on the grass.The reason we took note of the poor fellow is that he has a terrible scar around his neck -garbage in the sea or maybe some type of discarded fishing gear.Sea Lions with this type of wound, unfortunately are not that rare.We could not get close enough to see if it was just a scar or whether something was still in the wound.About noon 3 immature Bald Eagles landed on the ridge of West Race.They sat there for about 10 minutes until a boat approached (divers) and they flew over to N Rocks.After 1/2 hour or so they flew over to SE rocks where they stayed except for a couple of flights around the islands, unsuccessful attempts at getting a bird dinner.Two of these birds looked somewhat bedraggled with the mottled appearance of the head and tail feathers.The distinctive white plumage gradually appears with each molt over 4 or 5 years.
Just before 1:30 I noticed two Orcas northeast of North Rks. They were being followed by several groups of Sea Lions at about 100 metres. The whales surfaced 4 or 5 times as they made their way south just at the edge of the east side kelp bed.The last we saw they were in front of the engine room 200-300 metres off shore.As we watched for the whales to come back a 3-4 metre bull Elephant Seal drifted by and came into the small east bay. I did get some video as he floated around with just his head and unmistakable nose above the surface.He stayed in the bay only 12-15 minutes,arched his back,flared his great nostrils,dove into a wave and was gone! We often hear the elephant Seals vocalizing at night, it sounds like a calf bellowing in a tin can, but not lately, and from the sound of the roaring 45+ knt. not tonight either!
HUMAN INTERACTION: 12:10am -1:45pm Boat with 6 divers -West Race
TEMPERATURE: Max. 10.1C — 6.3C — Reset 8.7C — Rain 26.2 mm — Total rain fall for December 109.9 mm
posted by Carol or Mike S at 10:11 PM
Good Morning
WEATHER: Sky Overcast — Vis. 15 Miles — Wind West 13 Knots — Sea 1 Foot Chop
posted by Carol or Mike S at 7:32 AM

Haliacetus leucocephalus: Bald Eagle–The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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In November 2009, Ryan Murphy captured this set of images when a juvenile eagle was making his daily pass by to prey on a seabird. The juvenile california gull provides the meal for that day. Click the image to see a slide show video of this sequence..See the Eagle Set on Ryan’s Flickr site

Bald Eagles measure from 30″ to 43″ ( 76 to 109 cm) in length and from 70″ to 96″ ( 2 to 2.4 m) in wingspan. They have a high thin, chittering voice which contrasts with its magnificent appearance. Bald Eagle’s diet is primarily based on fish catching. It also eats carrion and crippled waterfowl. At Race Rocks, eagles frequently take adult Gulls and Pigeon Guillemots as can be seen in the accompanying images.

The adult Bald Eagle has a snow-white head and tail, the immature ones have brown head feathers which develop white underneath and gradually grow out over several years.
It was formerly found living all over North America. Hunting, poaching and the growth of civilization has had a negative impact in the Bald Eagle population whch has dimished considerably in the last decades. Nowadays it is found only in the Aleutians, Alaska, sections of Northern and Eastern Canada, British Columbia, Northern United States and Florida.

Its habitat is on or near seacoasts as well as close to large lakes and rivers, where the fish population is abundant. It nests in tall conifers, often old growth Douglas Fir or Cedar. Nests are common in the Southern part of Vancouver island. The closest to Race Rocks are on Bentinck Island and along Taylor Beach. The nests are renovated every year starting in January with new sticks, often ripped from tall dead fir trees. The eggs are white and come in groups of 1 to 3 each time.Its beachcombing , scavenging role, and the fact that it eats at the highest trophic level, can cause the Bald Eagle to accumulate pesticides in its body ( from contaminated fish and wildllife. ) The Bald Eagle population remains high in the rain forest coastal area of central and Northern British Columbia and Alaska.

This image comes from the slide show “Fresh Kill” It provides a closeup of an eagle whose head coloring is almost mature, but has not yet lost its dark speckling.
Reference: Miklos D. F. Uduvardy ,1977 The Audubon Society, Field Guide to North American Birds, Western region., Chanticler press, fifth edition: NY

 

The nictitation membrane is a transparent inner eyelid in birds, reptiles, and some mammals that closes to protect and moisten the eye. It is also called the third eyelid.
Pam captured these images of young eagles close to camera 5 in the spring of 2005 to help us demonstrate this adaptation.You can find further information about this feature at: http://ebiomedia.com/gall/eyes/protect.html

Bald Eagles in the Rain

 

 

 

 

Bad Hair Day for the Eagles

 

 

 

Other Members of the Class Aves at Race Rocks.

taxonomyiconReturn to the Race Rocks Taxonomy
and Image File
pearsonlogo2_f2The Race Rocks taxonomy is a collaborative venture originally started with the Biology and Environmental Systems students of Lester Pearson College UWC. It now also has contributions added by Faculty, Staff, Volunteers and Observers on the remote control webcams. Carolina Munoz 1987

 

Haliclystus salpinx –Stalked jellyfish: The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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These animals are best desribed as “upside down” medusae, with their bell extended into a stalk which is attached, in the case of this species, mostly to surfgrass leaves. They occur from low intertidal to the subtidal littoral. They feed mostly on caprellid amphipods. Natural size up to 1cm :

 

Stalked Jellyfish Haliclystus salpinx

Stalked Jellyfish Haliclystus salpinx

Note update on Taxonomy of :STAUROZOA*

“Stauromedusae are little stalked jellyfishes that spend their entire life attached to the substrate (rock or algae, usually), rather than swimming freely up in the water column like most other jellyfish. They have long been considered to be in the Order Stauromedusae in the Class Scyphozoa of the Phylum Cnidaria, but recent morphological and molecular studies (Marques and Collins, 2004; Collins and Daly, 2005) argued convincingly that they should be elevated to a rank equal to both the Scyphozoa and Cubozoa, as the Staurozoa. For those who prefer to apply taxonomic ranks, these might now all be considered Classes, but many scientists are pulling away from the concept of tight adherence to the old hierarchies of rank, in which case just “Staurozoa” will do.” (C.Mills)

rm18910stalked

Image by Ryan Murphy of the habitat of this animal, showing attachment to eel grass. Taken at Swordfish Island at 4 metres depth.

The Haliclystus salpinx is among the order of cnidarians which the more commonly known are jelly fish. Unlike jelly fish however this family of cnidarians is not free floating but more or less fixed, and always attached to the blade of eelgrass. It occurs frequently in the eelgrass bed around Swordfish island and Emdyck Pass near Bentinck island adjacent to Race RocksIt moves on very slowly or by somersaulting itself from one plant to another. Its physiological makeup has not been studied in enough detail at the present time how ever it shares some characteristics with more documented species. The Haliclystus salpinxas can be seen by the photo appears as an upside down medusae or in common terms jelly fish with its tentacles pointing outwards. The bell of the hydroid is then attached to a stalk that is stationery on the eel grass. It is found in the tidal and intertidal zones rendering it more conducive to shallow water as opposed to deep water.

Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Cnidaria
Class Staurozoa*
Order Stauromedusae
Suborder Eleutherocarpida
Family Lucernariinae
Genus Haliclystus
Species salpinx   (Clark, 1863)
COMMON NAME: Stalked Jellyfish

RANGE:

It is located most abundantly in the North Atlantic, Europe and Asia where areas are generally free external influences on rocky coasts. They are generally found in intertidal and tidal zones attached to surf grass.

REFERENCES CITED:

Mills, C.E. Internet 1999-2001. Stauromedusae: list of all valid species names. Electronic internet document available at http://faculty.washington.edu/cemills/Stauromedusae.html Published by author, web page established October 1999, last updated December 2nd 2001.

This file is provided as part of a collaborative effort by the students, faculty, volunteers and staff of Lester B. Pearson College– Dec 2001, by Sarah Gross

 

 

Epizoanthus scotinus : zooanthid anemone–

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epizooanthus2

Epizoanthus scotinus photo by Ryan Murphy

Description

The Epizoanthus is an anemone of the phylum Cnidaria. The class Anthozoa, into which it falls, has the literal meaning of flower animals, hence the Epizoanthus scotinus is a flower animal. Most Anthozoa belong to the subclass zoantharia with about 1000 species of sea anemones and 2500 species of stony corals that have been identified. Typical of the subclass zoantharia, Epizoanthus scotinus is colonial. The bases of the polyps in each group are connected having a column with sand or other foreign material embedded in it. The anemone are abundant along sea coasts but zoantharia occur in deep water as well. At Race Rocks, we typically find this species in darkened protected spaces, such as along the base of a vertical rock or under a protecting overhang. They are not very common but when they do occur, they will occupy up to 900 square centimeters. They also occur in very shallow water at Weir Point in Pedder Bay

 This short video taken by the divers shows a close up view, showing the density of the colony. They are a rather primitive looking, small anemone,.

 

Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalae
Phylum Cnidaria
Class Anthozoa
Subclass Zoantharia
Order Zoanthinaria
Genus Epizoanthus
Species scotinus
Common Name Zooanthid anemone
rmepizooanthus

A large colony of Epizoanthus scotinus on a boulder. Photo by Ryan Murphy

Return to the Race Rocks Taxonomy Index

This file is provided as part of a collaborative effort by the students, faculty, staff and volunteers  of Lester B. Pearson College Dec. 2001 Sikhululekile Hlatshwayo,
PC yr 27

Orange hermit crab

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In this video, the orange hermit crab inhabits the shell of an Oregon triton


The Elassochirus gilli (Benedict 1892), commonly known as the Orange Hermit Crab, is commonly found in the waters around Race Rocks. Hermit crabs are abundant around the world. They have soft rear ends that need the protection of the hard snail shell for survival. Hermit crabs carry their shell homes on their backs and tuck themselves away inside for protection using their strong stomach muscles. Sometimes, hermit crabs experience housing problems. As the crab outgrows one shell, it must find another often running into serious competitions for available homes in the right size range. Once it has found a suitable home it will not look again for some time. In any case, hermit crabs will fight for exclusive rights to empty shells. However, they will never displace a live snail from its home.In the video above, the crab inhabits the shell ot the Oregon triton snail, Fusitriton oregonensis .They have two sets of legs that they extend outside their shell for walking and two pairs of legs tucked away inside that they use to move their body around inside their shell.
The right cheliped surface of the Elassochirus gilli is smooth (without small spines) with its shield equal in length and width. The eyestalk of the crab is stout and its cornea is not inflated. The left hand is oval with a wide fixed finger. However, its greatly expanded and flattened right claw is a distinguishing feature. The walking legs of the crab are compressed and yet another distinguishing feature of the species is its bright blue upper leg. The Elassochirus gilli is usually rather uniformly orange to red.

The size of the male crab, is on average, about 20.4m in length. In this secies, the males are without paired pleopods and the females are without paired gonoppores.

The Elassochirus gilli prefers bedrock in areas of fast moving current. As such, its primary habitat is in rocky areas.
Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Arthropoda
Class Crustacea
Order Decapoda
Infraorder Anomura
Superfamily Paguroidea
Family Paguridea
Genus Elassochirus
Species gilli
COMMON NAME: Orange Hermit Crab

WEBSITES AND REFERENCES ON ELASSOCHIRUS GILLI

http://www.oceanlink.island.net/oinfo/biodiversity/hermitcrab.html

Kozloff, Eugene N. Seashore Life of the Northern Pacific Coast, University of Washington Press (1996), p.410

Hart, Josephine F. Crabs and their Relatives of British Columbia, British Columbia Provincial Museum, Victoria (1982), p.124

pearsonlogo2_f2The Race Rocks taxonomy is a collaborative venture originally started with the Biology and Environmental Systems students of Lester Pearson College UWC. It now also has contributions added by Faculty, Staff, Volunteers and Observers on the remote control webcams. Dec 2001- N’kiru Okagbue

 

Zalophus californianus: California Sea lion–The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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rmuwoct11califswim

California sea lion photo by Ryan Murphy

 

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Male California sea lion– note ears;

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California sea lion. still wet and therefore almost black. When they are dry they are dark brown. G.Fletcher photo.

California sea lions are known for their intelligence, playfulness, and noisy barking. Their color tends toward chocolate brown, although females are often a lighter golden brown. Males may reach 1,000 lbs. (more often 850 lbs.or 390 kg) and 7 feet (2.1 m) in length. Females grow to 220 lbs. (110 kg) and up to 6 feet (1.8 m) in length. They have a “dog-like” face, and around five years of age, males develop a bony bump on top of their skull called a sagittal crest. The top of a male’s head often gets lighter with age. These members of the Otariid, or walking seal, family have external ear flaps and are equipped with large flippers which they use to “walk” on land.

The trained “seals” in zoos and aquaria are usually California sea lions.

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Dry sea lion on the left and wet one on the right with a northern sea lion lying behind them. Sept 2006-G.Fletcher photo

In this picture they are seen mixed in with the Northern Sea Lions on many of the islands at Race Rocks. They do prefer however, West Rock, North Rock and the North West corner and the docks area of Great Race Rocks.

 

bakerlion

Northern and California Sea lion with Mt Baker in the background. photo: G.Fletcher

In 1970 , Trevor Anderson reported to David Hancock for the Journal article “California Sea Lion as a Regular Winter Visitant off the British Columbia Coast” that ” California Sea Lions had hauled out on rocks near the light every winter since 1966…. and a peak of population of 30 was reached in February, 1969.”

It is clear that the population of these animals has risen considerably over the years, and by 2007, up to 300 may haul out in the fall of the year.

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In the fall of 2011, the California sea lions were especially attracted up near the house in mid September . They all departed when an earthquake struck the north end of Vancouver island. Ryan Murphy photo

BREEDING

Sea lions do not pup at Race Rocks, it is strictly a winter haulout colony. Most pups are born on the outer coast to the South in June or July and weigh 13-20 lbs. (6-9 kg). They nurse for at least 5-6 months and sometimes over a year. Mothers recognize pups on crowded rookeries through smell, sight, and vocalizations. Pups also learn to recognize the vocalizations of their mothers. Breeding takes place a few weeks after birth. Males patrol territories and bark almost continuously during the breeding season. Gestation lasts about 50 weeks and lactation 5 to 12 months. The longevity is estimated to be around 17 years.

FEEDING HABITS

California sea lions are opportunistic feeders and eat such things as squid, octopus, herring, rockfish, mackerel, anchovy and whiting. The California sea lion competes with the Northern Sea Lion Eumetopias jubata for habitat and food

NOTES

California sea lions are very social animals, and groups often rest closely packed together at favored haul-out sites on land, or float together on the ocean’s surface in “rafts.” They are sometimes seen porpoising, or jumping out of the water, presumably to speed up their swimming. Sea lions have also been seen “surfing” breaking waves.

The males are probably the most vocal of all mammals, and let out a loud incessant honking bark to protect over their territories. They are faithful to their territories, and to their harems of up to 15 females. Sea Lions swim up to 25mph which makes them one of the fastest aquatic carnivores.

Sea lions are known to damage fishing gear and steal or destroy fish in the nets. As a result a lot of California sea lions drown in nets and they are frequently shot at by commercial fishers.
See examples below and in the video.

Sea lions are preyed upon by killer whales. Sea lions are known to have such diseases as pneumonia, caused by a parasitic lungworm, and a bacterial infection called leptospirosis, which affects their livers and kidneys.

Other problems for California sealions involve humans. Sea lions have been found illegally shot and also caught in drift or gill nets and other marine debris. However, their population is growing steadily, and California sea lions can be seen in many coastal spots

The Californian Sea lion was once killed in great numbers for their blubber which could be made into oil, and the rest would be made into dog food. Today the seal lion is protected by international treaty which has led to a positive shift in their populations.

Domain Eukarya
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Pinnipedia
Family: Otariidae
Genus: Zalophus
Species: californianus
Common Name: California Sea Lion

 ARCHIVED VIDEOS of Sea lions at Race Rocks
sealionimpactsSeptember, 2003 : This past few months we have seen three California and Northern Sea lions with fishing flashers hanging from their mouths. These animals pursue fishing lures , probably especially when live bait is used. They swallow the bait, and take down the meter plus length of leader line before the flasher comes to their mouth. The individuals will be seen for several days trailing these flashers. It is not known whether they eventually shed the flasher or whether this leads to an untimely death. Although they can pick up a flasher in waters at some distance from their haulouts, it certainly makes sense to restrict fishing activity when marine mammals are in the vicinity of a fishing vessel.
slionsFrom August to November, a group of California sea lions hauls out on the shore to the East of the Docks with a few even staying on the docks. They get very used to the boats docking there and are often joined by a few large Northern sea lions as well. The constant barking sound comes from the California Sea lions, and the low growls are from the Northerns.”
lionblastsEffects of DND Blasting at Bentinck Island: On November 7, 2002, the DND were still doing their demolition blasting exercises at Bentinck Island. (not Oct 7 as stated in this draft version of the video) The students from Lester Pearson College who were out for a project week were able to catch the images of the impact of these blasts on the first day from the science centre window and on the second day from the top of the light tower. In the tower, they interviewed Mike Demarchi of LGL who is currently doing a $50,000 contract for the Department of National Defence to monitor the impact of these blasts and to compare them with other disturbances at Race Rocks. ( Click on audio icon below)
ecotourimpactsEcotourism can have both positive and negative effects. In this video, you see twoecotourist whale-watching boats from Victoria B.C. that demonstrate two methods of viewing marine mammals. The yellow boat, the Prince of Whales rounds the middle rock inside the kelp bed, much too close to the island which is covered with northern sea lions and a few California sea lions. Since the animals on the North side of the island do not see the boat coming at this close distance, theyare startled and about 25 of them take to the water. Thehigh profile of the boatis increased by the individuals standing on the top of the boat, probably adding to the scare value.The other boat, the Discovery Launch, comes down the main passage between Great Race and the middle rock. They have approached slowly, drift with the current and present very little impact on both the sea lions on the middle rock and the harbour seals hauled out on the main island down in the foreground. Missing from this video however is video of their departure from the reserve where they swing in very close to the end of the docks, causing a stampede of a dozen sea lions in that areaThere are definite guidelines on viewing distance which are occasionally ignored by commercial operators and by private boats of the public that come into the reserve. Disturbance of any marine mammal colonies by vessel operators is against the law. Every time an animal has to change it’s behaviour because of human behaviour, there is a cost in terms of energy expenditure. Violations of this regulation should be reported to federal fisheries.If you feel you would like to provide feedback on this issue to the Department of Fisheries see contact information in this booklet on their Guidelines
dndblastsDND blasting at Bentinck Island.This video was made on October 7, 2002 in order to document the effect of the Department of National Defence demolition exercises on Bentinck Island on the behaviour of birds and marine mammals at Race Rocks MPA. In previous years we have observed considerable disruption by military exercises involving blasting on nearby Bentinck Island in the fall just after the sea lions have returned to the island. We have requested that blasts be spread out over a longer period of time during an exercise. Traditionally blasts have come in a series of three. The first one would alert the sea lions, the second would send a few in the water and the third would clear the islands. This year on this one occasion, only two blasts were held at five minutes apart. The results are shown in the video.gfsept0809brand849BRANDING:We often encounter marine mammals in the reserve which have been marked when trapped in another location as part of a scientific study. We are including in this file a set of pictures of marine mammals which have been tagged in various studies, along with the particulars of the observations. sealion12ENTANGLEMENT:

In September 1999, this California sealion, with a plastic hoop around his neck, was photographed from the docks at Race Rocks by MPA Guardian Carol Slater.

Sea lion with a plastic ring on his neck.

A sea lion with a plastic ring on his neck. See this file for our posts on “entanglement”. It shows the many examples of human debris compromising the health of sea lions.Sometimes however, there is a good news story. It seems like this California sea lion has made somewhat of a recovery, with skin growing over the plastic. See this and other images by . Ryan Murphy in his Flickr album.

SUBSPECIES

Three subspecies are recognized: Zalophus californianus californianus (Lesson, 1828), Zalophus californianus wollebaeki (Sivertsen, 1953) and Zalophus californianus japonicus (Peters, 1866), each living in a clearly separate range. According to Rice (1998), the differences between these types justifies classification as separate species: Zalophus californianus, Zalophus wollebaeki and Zalophus japonicus

seali2sleep

Ecological Equivalents:  The subspecies Zalophus wollebaeki sea lion from the Galapagos Islands.

 

Other Members of the Class Mammalia at Race Rocks.

taxonomyiconReturn to the Race Rocks Taxonomy
and Image File
pearsonlogo2_f2The Race Rocks taxonomy is a collaborative venture originally started with the Biology and Environmental Systems students of Lester Pearson College UWC. It now also has contributions added by Faculty, Staff, Volunteers and Observers on the remote control webcams.

File originally compiled by Caroline Mwaniki (PC yr. 27)

 

Orcinus orca: Killer Whale–The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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Orcinus orca with prey– photo by Ryan Murphy, Sept 21 2010

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In 1978, a group of divers from Lester Pearson College were mapping the underwater life in the Rosedale Reef area just South of Great Race Rocks. A large bull orca, from a transient pod surfaced near the boat. Duane Prentice who was then a student in the Diving Service at Pearson College, took this photo from the dive boat. The photo was featured the following year in the Lester Pearson College Proposal for an Ecological Reserve at Race Rocks. Duane is now a photo-journalist living in Victoria.

 

AF-orca-and-ship2jan132014

This image of a bulk carrier , whales and eagles is one that was added to our Oil Spill and Animals at Race Rocks page photos by Alex Fletcher.

In the Ecoguardian log of January 13, 2014, Alex Fletcher reported his sightings of Orcas that week at Race Rocks Ecological Reserve. See the images below:

Physical characteristics:
Size:

1crooked

From one of the Race Rocks Activity pages of 2002: “We spotted an Orca on our way back to Pearson College from Race Rocks. An exciting end to an exciting day.”

Although small compared to some whales, killer whales are the largest predators of mammals known.  Male killer whales, or bulls, average 5.8 to 6.7 m (19-22 ft.) and usually weigh between 3,628 and 5,442 kg (8,000-12,000 lb.). Females, or cows, average 4.9 to 5.8 m (16-19 ft.) and usually weigh between 1,361 and 3,628 kg (3,000-8,000 lb.). Individual sizes vary significantly between geographical areas.  Length estimates for more than 2,000 killer whales taken by North Atlantic whaling operations show male North Atlantic killer whales average about 6.1 m (20 ft.) while females average about 5.5 m (18 ft.).

Body Shape:
A killer whale has a sleek, streamlined, fusiform (tapered at both ends) body shape.
frontOn Sept 25, 1999 students from Pearson College and teacher Catrin Brown went out to Whirl Bay to retrieve the bones of a female Orca, L21 who had died.
The photos and story of that episode can be found in this post.

rightside

 

 

See images of the skeletal mount which now hangs in the biology lab at Pearson College

 

Coloration:

lortonwhale-1

Orcinus orca, (killer whales),  South West of Race Rocks …Photo by Jeff Lorton

The dorsal surface and pectoral flippers are black, except for the gray saddle area located just behind the dorsal fin.  The ventral (bottom) surface, lower jaw, and undersides of the tail flukes are mostly white.  The undersides of the tail flukes are fringed with black. A white ‘eyespot’ is located just above and slightly behind each eye. The markings on the flukes and saddle patch have been used as the standard method of identification of Killer whales. Their vocalizations were researched in the 1980’s by John Ford. He spent many hours in the Race Rocks and the rest of the waters around Vancouver Island for his research.

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Ryan Murphy has taken pictures of the Orcas that he has seen in the Ecological reserve since 2009.See this Flickr set for the complete set.

Photos below by
Roberto Serpelloni, (PC yr 25) March, 2000

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Sub-Phylum Vertebrata
Class Mammalia
Sub-Class Eutheria
Order Cetacea
Sub-Order Odontoceti
Family Delphinidae
Genus Orcinus
Species orca

Behavior:

Sound travels well in water and orcas communicate with calls, clicks and whistles. They use ‘echolocation’ clicks to navigate and find food.  Orcas can leap out of the water to ‘breach’. Orcas also ‘spy-hop’, rising vertically in the water with their heads in the air, looking around.

Permanent mother-led family groups form extended families called ‘pods’. Though mothers are the primary caregivers, everyone plays a part in caring for the young.  The social life is vital.  Each pod has its own distinct dialect.

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A collage of pictures of an Orca killing a seal- taken from the video..

 

Living at Race Rocks affords the rare opportunity to see attacks by Transient Orcas on the resident harbour seal population. In this video below,  Mike and Carol Slater captured some of the sequence in an event that happened some distance off the South islands.[video width=”640″ height=”480″ mp4=””https://www.racerocks.ca/wp-content/uploads?2015/12/orca_300.mp4″}{/video

orcollageA collage of pictures of an Orca killing a seal- taken from the video above.
 Biotic-associations:

The website http://www.cgo.wave.ca/~wolfy/orca.html offers detailed information about orca’s bio-associations and hunting manners. It is based upon a comprehensive bibliography that includes several research papers and books. (Link opens in a new window).

Local Research on Killer whales:
Robin W. Baird and Hal Whitehead ,Social organization of mammal-eating killer whales: group stability and dispersal patterns
.2000,
Ford, J.K.B. 1991. Vocal traditions among resident killer whales (Orcinus orca) in coastal waters of British Columbia.
Can. J. Zool. 69: 1454-1483.
Bigg, M.A., P.F. Olesiuk, G.M. Ellis, J.K.B. Ford & K.C. Balcomb III. 1990. Social organization and genealogy of resident killer whales (Orcinus orca) in the coastal waters of British Columbia and Washington State.
Rep. Int. Whal. Commn. (Special Issue 12): 383-405.
Ford, J.K.B. 1989. Acoustic behaviour of resident killer whales (Orcinus orca) in British Columbia.
Can. J. Zool. 67: 727-745.

From John Ford’s website you can hear Killer whale sounds of the Southern Resident Killer Whales.

cetaceanEarly research: The Cetacean Watch Newsletter , Dec 1986. A Discussion of Victoria’s Killer whale early warning system, and the installation of the first hydrophone at Race Rocks.(1986)

 

Link to the Ecotourism problems  page:

bewhalewiseLink to the Be Whale Wise website for viewing guidelines
Other Members of the Class Mamalia at Race Rocks.

taxonomyiconReturn to the Race Rocks Taxonomy
and Image File
pearsonlogo2_f2The Race Rocks taxonomy is a collaborative venture originally started with the Biology and Environmental Systems students of Lester Pearson College UWC. It now also has contributions added by Faculty, Staff, Volunteers and Observers on the remote control webcams.

Jaffar Saleh Subaie PC yr 27

Smithora naiadum: Seagrass laver–The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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smithoraHerbarium sheet showing Smithora growing as an epiphyte on Phylospadix

Smithora naiadum will by mid-summer turn much of the green surf grass Phyllospadix, a deep maroon color. This happens subtidally and in the deep tidepools on the west shore of Race Rocks. It is interesting to speculate at which point this epiphyte turns from being a harmless obligate epiphyte organism to one that is actually having a negative effect on the host plant as it increases the shading from sunlight.

Classification is disputed

Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Protoctista
Division Rhodophyta
Genus Smithora
Species naiadum

Common Name: Seagrass laver, red fringe {Smithora = after Gilbert Morgan Smith, a leading America botanist and phycologist, and a professor of botany at Stanford University}

See other members of the Phylum Rhodophyta

taxonomyiconReturn to the Race Rocks Taxonomy and Image File
pearsonlogo2_f2The Race Rocks taxonomy is a collaborative venture originally started with the Biology and Environmental Systems students of Lester Pearson College UWC. It now also has contributions added by Faculty, Staff, Volunteers and Observers on the remote control webcams. Dec 2001-Luis Carlos M. PC yr 27

 

Phoca vitulina: Harbour Seal –The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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The total harbour seal population in the eastern north Pacific is estimated to be  330,000, and in California the estimated population was 40,000 in 1997.  They usually are found in small groups, but sometimes occur in numbers of up to 500.
shoulder
RANGE/HABITAT:  Harbour seals are found across the Northern Hemisphere in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.  In the Northeast Pacific, they range from Alaska to Baja California, in Mexico. They favor near-shore coastal waters and frequent sandy beaches, mudflats, bays, and estuaries.

See the most recent posts on harbour seals by the Ecoguardians at Race Rocks 

sealman

Harbour seal photo by Ryan Murphy 2002

silverHarbour seals spend about half their time on land and half in water, and they sometimes sleep in water.  They can dive to 1,500 feet (457 m) for up to 40 minutes, although their average dive lasts 3 to 7 minutes.  They are opportunistic feeders and hunt for sole, flounder, sculpin, hake, cod, herring, octopus, and squid.They will also take fairly large salmon.

This image of a mother an baby harbour seal was taken by Ryan Murphy when he was the Ecoguardian at Race Rocks 2009-2011 See this and many more excellent shots  on his Flickr album of Race Rocks Seals here.rmharbsealandpup

” Ryan and I were doing a live webcast from West Race Rocks, when we came across this harbour seal. It kept returning for a view of our activities so we were able to take several video shots while it hovered nearby. We noticed how it seemed to like returning to this rock pinnacle which was covered with kelp and the plumose anemone. When the lights of the camera get in at close range on the stalks or stipes of the kelp, you can see the brightly colored brooding anemone.” Andras Rozmer, (PC year 26)

 

Birthing location. Mother and and baby harbour seal. A few scenes taken in June at the time of the harbour seals giving birth. Note membranes still attached to the mother in the swimming scenes near the end.

 

Harbour seals are year-round residents of Race Rocks. Their numbers increase to over 400 in June and July at the peak of the pupping season. This video shows a quiet scene with seals hauled out on the shore on the west side of Race Rocks.

 

Domain: Eukarya
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Clade: Pinnipedia
Family: Phocidae
Genus : Phoca
Species : vitulina

Phoca vitulina (Linnaeus, 1758 )

COMMON NAME: Harbour Seal

sealbay

In the summer, the South East bay is often populated by harbour seals. In this view taken in July, 2005 from the tower, you can count at least 25 seals.

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This shot is from the tower of the south bay by PB, Sept. 14 2007, the seals can be seen swimming underwater.

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Harbour seals on the south intertidal island, Sept. 2007

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A panorama of the seals on South Islands in June.. photo: GF

sealeaten2

The cause of death of this seal is unknown.It could have been hit by a boat.

sealeaten

It had been providing food for an eagle several days before this picture was taken: see video:

rmsept2009decapsealAt Race Rocks,the Harbour seals are year round residents, although their numbers peak in mid summer to over 400. They have pups on the island from March to July. This file shows what happens if boat traffic is too fast in the ecological reserve or around any seal haulout area,

 

Damion Wilson PC Year 27.
Other Members of the Class Mammalia at Race Rocks.

See the most recent posts on harbour seals by the Ecoguardians at Race Rocks 

taxonomyiconReturn to the Race Rocks Taxonomy
and Image File
pearsonlogo2_f2The Race Rocks taxonomy is a collaborative venture originally started with the Biology and Environmental Systems students of Lester Pearson College UWC. It now also has contributions added by Faculty, Staff, Volunteers and Observers on the remote control webcams.