Category Archives: Species

Anas platyrhynchos: Mallard Duck–The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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pbdec15mallards

Pam Birley from England took this first set of images of mallard ducks at Race Rocks with the remote camera today. Over on Vancouver Island it is a very common duck but has never been recorded out here before.

This is the first image taken of this species at Race Rocks. Pam said in her e-mail “Not too exciting but never seen them before at RR.  A group of 6 Mallards in a rock pool along the NE shore.  Seemed to be one breeding male and I believe the others were all female.  Light very poor but have enhanced the pics as best I could.”.

 

 

 

Domain: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Aves
Order: Anseriformes
Family: Anatidae
Genus: Anas
Species platyrhynchos
Common Name: Mallard Duck

Return to the Race Rocks Taxonomy

This file is provided as part of a collaborative effort by the students, faculty, staff and volunteers of Lester B. Pearson College and website viewers on our remote cameras on the internet. 15 Dec. 2012–Pam Birley

Sea Otter, Enhydra lutris— Race Rocks Taxonomy

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abjune102012rrseaotter

Adam Bird, aboard a whale watching charter took this photo of a sea otter on June 10, 2012 at Race Rocks .

This is the first image taken of this species at Race Rocks .

This sea otter was observed over several days in the kelp bed off the Middle Rocks in Race Rocks Ecological Reserve. Sea otters were introduced to the Bunsby Islands, Checlesset Bay north of Kyuquot village on the West Coast of Vancouver Island in 1969, 1970 and 1972. Considerable research on them has been done over the years especially by Dr. Jane Watson, and it is archived on the Friends of Ecological Reserves website in the Checlesset Bay Ecological Reserve #109 archives:

Since then Ecoguardians have taken pictures of sea otters out in the lkelp and along the shore of Great Race Rocks almost every year, here are a few samples:

This tag will bring up other examples of observations of this species at Race Rocks

 

I also observed a sea otter and was able to get some pictures in 2014

Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Subphylum Vertebrata
Class Mammalia
Order Carnivora
Family Mustelidae
Subfamily Lutrinae
Genus Enhydra
Species lutris ( Linnaeus,(1758)
Common Name: Sea Otter

Other Members of the Class Mammalia at Race Rock

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. Garry Fletcher, 2012

 

Hydroprogne caspia: Caspian Tern–The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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mikercaspianternjune112012
Mike Robinson, the Lester Pearson College Ecoguardian at Race Rocks Ecological Reserve, reported in the Race Rocks log on Caspian Terns and provided this picture.
This is the first image taken of this species at Race Rocks June 10, 2012.

Mike  commented :” I have noticed several (2-6) Caspian Terns (Hydroprogne caspia) in the area for a month or so. They have proven very challenging to photograph but I got a couple good shots this afternoon. It is the world’s largest tern with a length of 48–56 cm, a wingspan of 127–140 cm. The global population is about 50,000 pairs. They have a distinguishing croak that sounds a bit like a Great Blue Heron.”
Domain:  Eukarya
Kingdom:  Animalia
Phylum:  Chordata
Subphylum:  Vertebrata
Class:  Aves
Order:  Charadriiformes
Family:  Sternidae
Genus:  Hydroprogne
Species:  caspia (Pallus, 1770)
Common Name: Caspian Tern

Global Status: G5 (Nov 1996)
Provincial Status: S3B (Nov 2011)
BC List: Blue
COSEWIC Status: Not at Risk (May 1999)
SARA Schedule:
General Status Canada: 3 – Sensitive (2005)
Migratory Bird Convention Act: Y
Return to the Race Rocks taxonomy and image gallery

This file is provided as part of a collaborative effort by the students, faculty, staff and volunteers of Lester B. Pearson College   June 10,2012 -Mike Robinson

 

 

Arctonoe pulchra

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rmscaleworm011-11-18 at 5.00.26 PM

Photo by ryan Murphy

 

rmscaleworm2012-03-26 at 11.39.25 AM

Ryan Murphy took these images of this scale worm in a commensal relationship with sea star.

This set of images taken by Ryan Murphy shows one of the more delicate of the Polynoidae, or scale worms. Divers  often find scale worms on the underside of Sea stars and sea cucumbers at Race Rocks. This has not been positively identified but it could be one of the two of three species in the Genus Hololepida. 

The following classification is based on that of the Animal Diversity Web:

Kingdom Animalia
 Phylum Annelida
Class Polychaeta
Order Aciculata
Family  Polynoidae
Genus Hololepida
There are two possible species :
Species: australis
or Species : veleronis
Return to the Race Rocks Taxonomy Index
The Taxonomy files are the result of collaboration between students, faculty, staff and Volunteers of Lester Pearson College— Garry Fletcher,

Phalaropus fulicarius:red phalarope–The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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This is the first image taken of this species at Race Rocks  March 2012

 

 

I was on the docks at Race Rocks when I saw this small phalarope which I thought was the red-necked version. A viewer pointed out that it had a grey back and a thick bill. Therefore it is the “Red” phalarope, Phalaropus fulicarius. It turns out that all the others we have seen in that same area by the docks in the past have been the red phalarope,  Phalaropus lobatus  which have a brown marked back  This is their winter non-breeding plumage so none of the colourful plumage of the breeding season shows up.  (Garry Fletcher)

Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Subphylum Vertebrata
Class Aves
Order Charadriiformes
Family Scolopacidae
Genus Phalaropus
Species fulicarius Linnaeus 1758
Common Name: Red Phalarope
Garry Fletcher

Actitis macularius : Spotted Sandpiper –The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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Image by Ryan Murphy
This is the first image taken of this species.This is an immature individual, (note lacking the spots of an adult). It is probably a local breeder. It breeds in fresh water areas throughout North America.

Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Subphylum Vertebrata
Class Aves
Order Charadriiformes
Family Scolopacidae
Genus Actitis
Species macularius Linnaeus 1766
Common Name: Spotted Sandpiper

 

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.

Ryan Murphy- Ecoguardian 

Hydrolagus colliei: The spotted ratfish– The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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A spotted ratfish falling prey to a seagull. These are more frequently spotted by divers at night but so far this is the first one seen at Race Rocks

A spotted ratfish falling prey to a seagull. These are more frequently spotted by divers at night but so far this is the first one seen at Race Rocks. Photo by Ryan Murphy

Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordate
Sub Phylum Vertebrata
Class Condrichthyes
Order Chimaeriformes
Family Chimaeridae
Genus Hydrolagus
Species colliei
Common Name: Spotted ratfish

 

Return to the species index of the Race Rocks Taxonomy.

This file is provided as part of a collaborative effort by the students, faculty, staff and volunteers of
Lester B. Pearson College
March 2011
Ryan Murphy

Bubo virginianus: Great Horned Owl–The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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This great horned owl showed up at Race Rocks on November 12, 2011. There has only been one other reported sighting, on October 14 2006, by members of the Friends of Ecological Reserve field trip . While visiting the island, they saw that an owl had been sitting in a window ledge of the tower, and it flew out when people were going up inside the tower. It was later sighted on the cliff west of the docks, but it flew before they could get a picture.

Images by Alex Fletcher November 12, 2011

Alex reports that this time it was perched at the upper crane deck platform, and goes in under the crane deck as well. It was still there on November 13. The wind has gusted to 60 km. at Race Rocks on both days, and it has rained frequently during that time.

Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Subphylum Vertebrata
Class Aves
Order Strigiformes
Family Strigidae
Genus Bubo
Species virginianus
Common Name: Great Horned Owl
Other owls photographed at Race Rock

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.  Alex Fletcher

 

Unidentified Ectoproct photographed by Ryan Murphy

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An Ectoproct ( Bryozoa) that we have not yet been able to identify.

An Ectoproct ( Bryozoa) that we have not yet been able to identify. This image appeared originally on Ryan’s Flickr site in the picture of a shrimp at http://www.flickr.com/photos/ryanjmurphy/6351563627/in/photostream/

 

I was struck by the appearance of the background of the image, although the shrimp was certainly attractive. The name “Phoronid” came to mind , and we identified it as Phoronis vancouverensis however, I have since been informed by the experts that this is not the case.   So it remains an unknown species, possibly an Ectoproct  Bryozoan. We would appreciate hearing from anyone who may recognize the species.

Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Bryozoa
Ectoprocta
Class Gymnolaemata
Order Cheilostomata
Family ??
Genus ??
Species ??
Common Name: ??

 This file is provided as part of a collaborative effort by the students, faculty, staff and volunteers of Lester B. Pearson College and website viewers on our remote cameras on the internet.

Go to the Taxonomy Index for Race Rocks