Category Archives: Species

Oligocottus maculosus: Tidepool Sculpin–The Race Rocks taxonomy

Posted on by
rmsculpinn

Sculpin image by Ryan Murphy

Sculpin have ability to blend in with their surroundings which is useful in escaping from enemies and in capturing their prey by ambush. The body is elongate, its depth about 10cm. Head somewhat depressed, its length about 6cm. The snout is blunt in profile and It is moderate in size, the upper jaw extending to mid-pupil.
The species is very abundant in tide pools around rocky the rocky shores of Race Rocks. Tide pool sculpins show a definite tendency to return to their home pool if moved. These are very abundant in the tidepools on the north east corner of Great Race Rock. A piece of edible tissue dropped into a pool usually causes a feeding frenzy.

Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Subphylum Vertebrata
Class Actinopterigii
Order Scorpaeniformes
Sub Order Cottoidei
Family Cottidae
Genus Oligocottus
Species maculosus
Common Name: Tidepool Sculpin

 

 

 

 

 

Ryan Murphy took the following  photos of Sculpins when he was stationed at Race Rocks as the Ecoguardian . He was able to dive frequently while there and developed an excellence in underwater photography. 

His photographs can be viewed on his Flickr site:

We have not been able to identify all the following yet so are including them all with the tidepool sculpin: Oligocottus maculosus

Other Members of the Class Actinopterigii 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. original file : Dec 2002, by  Abdul Mobin.(PC)

 

Lontra canadensis: River Otter–The Race Rocks Taxonomy

Posted on by
raisanov410ottereat

This otter has just caught a female kelp greenling. I consider this one of the best ecological pictures of the year at Race Rocks–Photo by Raisa Mirza Nov 4 2010

 

Location of River Otters at Race Rocks:

rmmar09lontra

Ryan took these photos of a rover otter in March 2009. The otter was coming out of the water on the East side of great Race.

The river otter Lontra canadensis, formerly Lutra canadensis, does not really have a natural habitat at Race Rocks because they usually inhabit small bays and inlets around Vancouver Island. However they have in the past made homes in holes under man-made paths and buildings at Race Rocks. They currently have made a home under a pile of rocks formed when the Coast Guard blasted the island to make a helicopter pad in the late seventies. Most of the other man-made habitats have been eliminated. Interesting local ecology/behaviour/adaptations:
The river otter is the largest of the family Mustiladae. It is a metre or more  in length with around a third of its body taken up by its tail. It has webbed feet and claws which are useful for use in the marine and terrestrial environments in which they live.
They have thick fur with long hairs enabling them to survive low temperatures. Ryan took this image of otter tracks at Race Rocks in December 2008 when we had a few weeks of cold weather and the snow actually stayed for a few days.

rmmar09lontra2

See more photos of Ryan Murphy on his Flickr website:

When diving in murky waters through which they cannot see properly they use their whiskers to detect prey. River otters are able to communicate with each other using chirps, whistles, chatters, chuckles, screams and growls.They are one of the most playful species constantly sliding on the ground, chasing each other.

Domain: Eukarya
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Mustelidae
Subfamily: Lutrinae
Genus: Lontra
Species: canadensis pacifica (Schreber, 1977)
Common Name: River Otter

ottertrackThey have thick fur with long hairs enabling them to survive low temperatures. Ryan took this image of otter tracks at Race Rocks in December 2008 when we had a few weeks of cold weather and the snow actually stayed for a few days.

When diving in murky waters through which they cannot see properly they use their whiskers to detect prey. River otters are able to communicate with each other using chirps, whistles, chatters, chuckles, screams and growls.They are one of the most playful species constantly sliding on the ground, chasing each other.
Distribution elsewhere:
They occur along the Coast of Vancouver Island, often frequenting bays and estuaries and coastal marshes. The closest area where they are regularly found is Pedder Bay. There, we frequently see them on the college docks and on the southern shoreline. . Along streams and rivers in most of midwest and southwest USA (except Hawaii) they are common. Their population and density however varies with location. They can become a pest when they move onshore under buildings near the water.Their dead food and droppings create a disagreeable odor. They also can be vicious when cornered by humans or dogs.
Feeding particulars:
The river otter usually feeds on quite a variety of organisms, fish (herring mostly), seagulls (baby ones and eggs), crabs and shrimp. At Race Rocks they revert to birds and their eggs when the supply of herring is low. In July,1998 they wiped out the nests of black oyster catchers. They were also a threat to guillemot nests and were seen  digging away rocks to get to the nests. Whether the pigeon guillemot escaped or not is not known. Glaucous winged gull chicks are also victims. Man made habitat such as space under walkways and under buildings were removed in 2000 resulting in fewer occurrences of them on the islands.

Reproduction:

River otters usually mature at 2 years of age. Females usually get pregnant after three years. Males breed at around 5 years. See this slide show. They have litters of 1-6 with the usual amount being two or three children (kits)per mother. Female river otters have the ability to delay implantation. The young usually stay a year in the womb with a 60 day gestation period. They are quite helpless at birth and are blind. They open their eyes at around 3 weeks. The kits can take care of themselves at 5 or 6 months. However the family usually sticks together for an extra 2 months or until another litter is born.

The river otter breeds in March-April and give birth in late winter/early spring.
otterThis photo was taken in February, 2008
on the remote camera 5 by Pam Birley. The otter is seen coming out of the rock pile and moving over to the water. Below is a series of images taken by PB on February 29, 2008.

Other Posts on River Otters at Race Rock

Other posts on 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. Garry Fletcher2003

 

Corvus Corvax: The Common Raven- The Race Rocks Taxonomy

Posted on by

We see ravens at Race Rocks especially in winter months They occupy the ecological niche of a typical scavenger. We can distinguish them from the North-western crow by their large size and their enlarged beak. Thanks to Pam Birley for capturing these images and forwarding them to us in November, 2007.

Pam took another set of images showing raven-eagle interactions at race Rocks

 

 

 

Also see other references to ravens in these posts

 

 

Scientific classificationedit
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Corvidae
Genus: Corvus
Species:
C. corax
Binomial name
Corvus corax
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. Somealea Phoung
PC year 34

Hemigrapsus nudus-Purple Shore Crab– The Race Rocks Taxonomy

Posted on by

At the mid-intertidal rocky shore level on southern Vancouver Island, you will frequently find this as the most common species of shorecrab. At Race Rocks, they particularly like the loose rock habitat of the intertidal area beside the boat ramp on the jetty. The maximum size this crab attains is that shown in the video, about a 2cm. width of carapace. Thanks to Taarini Chopra and the environmental systems class for this video done as part of a study on biotic associations of the invertebrates at Race Rocks. This species is a particularly good example because of the parasites it often carries


Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Arthropoda
Class Malacostraca
Order Decapoda
Suborder Pleocymata
Family Grapsidae
Genus Hemigrapsus
Species nudus
Common Name: Purple shore crab

Other Members of the Phylum Arthropoda 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.

March October 2003- Taarini Chopra (PC yr 27)

Larus canus: Mew gull –The Race Rocks taxonomy

Posted on by

An adult Mew Gull: photos by Julie Bowser, July 2012

 

Physical description

  • slender, yellowish, or green legs, with webbed feet
  • gray wings and back with a plain white head, greenish – yellow bill
  • brown plumage and spotted tan
  • dark beak with a pink undertone
  • max lifespan up to 24 years

Habitat: Mew Gulls flourish in and along coastal ranges, tidal estuaries, interior lakes, and marshy grassland.

Behavior: Mew Gulls will not stray far from land and are known to seek the shore first in the occurence of stormy weather. The gull will also advace further inland in large flocks, into agricultural districts, to feast on the exposed worms and larvae after the land has been plowed. Northern gulls will migrate south when breeding season begins.

Food Eaten: herring, worms, insects, berries, grains, crustaceans, clams, mussels, young sea birds.

Predation: Cannibalistic adult gulls will eat eggs and hatchlings.

Predators: gulls, sharks

Migration: Mew gulls migrate in summer through-out Northwestern Canada and Alaska, winter along the Pacific Coast. They rarely migate inland South of its breeding range.
Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Aves
Order Charadriiformes
Family Laridae
Genus Larus
Species canus
Common Name: Mew Gull

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. October 20 2003 Tya Arizona PC year 30

Serpula vermicularis: Calcareous tubeworm– The Race Rocks taxonomy

Posted on by

This patch of calcareous-tubed serpulid worms is exposed on the north east corner of Great Race Rock in a crevasse at low tide. Many other invertebrate species are associated with it in this picture.

Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Annelida
Class Polychaeta
Order Sabellida
Family Serpulidae
Subfamily Serpulinae
Genus Serpula
Species vermicularis
Linnaeus,1767
Common Name: Calcareous tubeworm

Description

Serpula vermicularis is a slender, tube-dwelling polychaete between 5 and 7 cm length with about 200 segments. The tubes are cylindrical with occasional rings and irregular lengthwise ridges cut into blunt teeth. The operculum is calcareous and funnel shaped with radial grooves and a serrated circumference.

The color of the body of the worm varies from pale yellow to brick red. The tube is pinkish-white and the operculum is patterned with red and white rays.

Size: up to 7cm

Growth form: vermiform segmented

 

Distribution

These are common at Race Rocks in the subtidal area. They are often seen by divers as small bright red spots which seem to disappear when approached. Their gills withdraw rapidly into the white calcareous tube.

These worms are commonly found throughout north-west and south-west coasts of England and are distributed in the north-east Atlantic and the Mediterranean.

Physiographic preferences: open coast, offshore seabed, estuary

Habit info

The calcareous tubes of Serpula vermicularis can be found attached to hard substrates such as rocks, stones, bivalve shells and ship hulls from low water to the sublittoral in depths up to 250 m. In some very sheltered areas the tubes aggregate together to form small reefs. Often a mass of coiled white tubes shows up on the shore after a storm attached to the holdfasts of kelp .

Reproduction

Type: Gonochoristic

Frequency: annual episodic

Development mechanism: Planktotrophic

Life span: 2-5 years

 An interesting feeding method, kleptoparasitism, of the larva is documented inresearch:

Other Members of the Phylum Annelida 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.

 October,2003-  Martina Naschberger (PC)

Martina Naschberger

 

Larus thayeri: Thayer’s gull – The Race Rocks taxonomy

Posted on by

Thayer’s Gulls aligned for wind, November, 2005

Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Aves
Order Charadriliformes
Family Laridae
Genus Larus
Species thayeri
Common Name: Thayer’s Gull

History: Formerly considered as a subspecies of Herring Gulls. It is sometimes regarded as a subspecies of Iceland Gulls.

Physical Appearance:22 1/2″ – 25″ wide Mantle slightly darker grey Grey on the underside of the wing tips is distinctive. Yellow bill with red spot on lower mandible. Pale to brown eyes, with a purple-red ring around it. Darker pink legs.

Sound: Long mewing call: hiyah
Warning call: gah-gah-gah

Nesting: Usually 2 or 3 olive-brown, heavily blotched eggs in grass nest on sea cliffs in the high arctic. They only overwinter at Race Rocks, feeding on the small herring and krill in the surrounding waters.

Habitat: They are seabirds of the arctic, coastal rocks and rocky headlands. They are usually located on the Pacific coast on North America during winters. At Race Rocks, they often number in the hundreds out on the South West corner of the larger island, as the numbers below show.

Immature Gulls: They are similar to herring gulls, but slightly smaller and with proportionately smaller bill.
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. March 8 2003- Kevin Mingyui Chau

Cryptolithodes sitchensis: turtle crab –The Race Rocks taxonomy

Posted on by

turtle crab (Cryptolithodes sitchensis). Photos b y Laura Verhegge 

 

Appearance: Cryptolithodes sitchensis range from bright red or orange to gray and even white colors. The average size of an adult turtle crab is 90mm (3.6in). A distinctive characteristic of the crab is that its legs are completely covered by its shell.

Distribution: The turtle crab can be found from Sitka, Alaska along the coast to Point Lowa, California,
Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum Crustacea
Class Malacostraca
Order Decapoda
Suborder: Pleocyemata
Family: Lithodidae
Superfamily: Paguroidea
Genus Cryptolithodes
Species sitchensis
Common Name:Turtle Crab or Umbrella Crab

Where at Race Rocks? This species can be found at Race Rocks and on Rosedale Reef. In the summer of 1997, Donna Gibbs had noted specimens of Cryptolithodes sitchensis. in her inventory.

Habitat: This particular type of crab is usually found on bedrock from the low intertidal zone to 17m (56ft), in semi-protected area on or near the outer coast. Furthermore, the turtle crab rarely leaves its home.

Feeding: While on bedrock, the turtle crab grazes and feeds on sessile organisms, particularly algae.

Reproduction: The turtle crab reproduces sexually, using the molting cycle. There are six stages in the development of the turtle crab: Eggs, Prezoea, Zoea, Megalops, Juvenile Instar, Adult Crab.

Interesting Adaptation: Its distinctive shell allows it to camouflage itself into its surroundings. It is often mistaken for an old clam shell or patch or coralline algae.

Other Members of the Phylum Arthropoda 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.

AJ (PC year30)

Prasiola meridionalis: short sea lettuce–The Race Rocks Taxonomy

Posted on by
A good example of the highest marine algae in the intertidal zone, Praseola, sp. and the vertical zonation of the upper intertidal.

A good example of the highest marine algae in the intertidal zone, <i>Praseola, sp.</i> and the vertical zonation of the upper intertidal (photo near peg5A) . Photo G. Fletcher

Prasiola  meridionalis, short sea lettuce.

 There are five Prasiola species found in the world. They consist of very small blades (at most a few centimetres in length) usually one cell thick. At Race Rocks it is found as a green fuzz in the spray zone, above the upper  intertidal zone.It is also found along thePacific coast  from Alaska to Chile.

  • prasiolaInteresting local ecology: Tufts of these blades resemble little cabbages growing on wood or rock above the high level or along freshwater streams. Prasiola  can tolerate and exploit high-nitrogen conditions that most plants would find toxic. Therefore a unique aspect of their distribution is their association with guano of marine birds.

Domain: Eukarya
Kingdom: Protoctista
Division: Chlorophyta
Class: Chlorophyceae
Order: Prasiolales
Family: Prasiolaceae
Genus: Prasiola
Species: meridionalis
Common Name: short sea lettuce

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.OCT  2003–Gladys Michelle Reyes–PC  Year 30

 

Uria aalge: The Common Murre- The Race Rocks Taxonomy

Posted on by

Common Murre – photo by Raisa Mirza

Where at Race Rocks?: Flocks of several hundred common murres will be seen in the waters of Race Passage from August to October, with smaller numbers staying around through the winter. They usually come ashore at Race Rocks only if they have been oiled in an oil spill in the Strait. Occasionally there will be high mortality to large flocks of these birds in the strait of Juan de Fuca when they are caught in fish nets at night.

Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Aves
Order Charadriiformes
Family Alcidae
Genus Uria
Species aalge
Common Name: Common murre

Interesting local ecology/behavior/adaptation: Common murres are usually a length of 14 inches. They are an immature-like, basic-plumaged adult but often with a thin, pointed bill and small, rounded tail. Blurry streaks make its flank appear dusty, and this thin white trailing edge is visible at rest. Its head, neck, back, wings, and tail are all blackish, and its breast, belly, foreneck, and undertail are white. A dark line extends from its eye across its cheek, and its white breast meets its dark neck as a blunt, rounded intrusion. Both sexes are very similar. Common murres often raft on the surface of the water, fly in lines, and stand erect.

This rare image of a Common murre ashore on the island was photographed by Pam Birley with remote camera 5 on the West side of the island at Race Rocks in August 2009– See Pam’s other images of this murre in her August log .

Distribution elsewhere: All coast of the Northern Hemisphere where cold currents of upwellings nourish a multitude of fish. In the west, they nest in colonies in western Aleutians and from Arctic Alaska to central California. They are found on the ocean or in large bays.

Reproduction and feeding particulars: Eggs of common murres are produced one at a time and are variable in colour, coming in blue, green, or buffy with darker blotches. They are long and pear shaped, and are laid on inaccessible cliff tops on vertical, narrow ledges, especially on rocky islets or head lands. Each nest has enough space for one egg and one incubating parent. Breeding is their main purpose of coming to shore.

Reference: Peterson, Roger Tory, Peterson Field Guide to Western Birds, New York, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1990

Udvardy, Miklos D.F., The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds, New York, Chanticleer Press, 1977

Common murre – http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/id/framlst/i0300id.html

n sea clifts. They are accomplished divers that “fly” under water in pursuit of a small fish.
Other Members of the Class Aves at Race Rocks.

taxonomyiconReturn to the Race Rocks Taxonomy
and Image File
April 2009 Raisa Mirza