Gulf of CaliforniaThe Gulf of California (Golfo de California), also known as the Sea of Cortés (Mar de Cortés) or Sea of Cortez, or less commonly as the Vermilion Sea (Mar Bermejo), is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean that separates the Baja California Peninsula from the Mexican mainland. It is bordered by the states of Baja California, Baja California Sur, Sonora, and Sinaloa with a coastline of approximately . Rivers that flow into the Gulf of California include the Colorado, Fuerte, Mayo, Sinaloa, Sonora, and the Yaqui.
SeaWorld San DiegoSeaWorld San Diego is a theme park located in Mission Bay Park, San Diego, California, United States. Owned and operated by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, the park is multifaceted, animal-focused marine mammal park, oceanarium, and aquarium—with both indoor and outdoor aquatic exhibits. Behind-the-scenes, SeaWorld San Diego is also a noted marine animal rehabilitation center. The park's shared waters of Mission Bay connect directly to the Pacific Ocean, and it is this seaside location—and accessibility by boat—which enables the rescuing, rehabilitating and (when possible) re-releasing of injured, orphaned or stranded marine animals.
Pacific white-sided dolphinThe Pacific white-sided dolphin (Lagenorhynchus obliquidens), also known as the hookfin porpoise, is an active dolphin found in the cool or temperate waters of the North Pacific Ocean. The Pacific white-sided dolphin was named by Smithsonian mammalogist Theodore Nicholas Gill in 1865. It is morphologically similar to the dusky dolphin, which is found in the South Pacific. Genetic analysis by Frank Cipriano suggests the two species diverged around two million years ago.
Nuu-chah-nulthThe Nuu-chah-nulth (nuːˈtʃɑːnʊlθ; Nuučaan̓uł: nuːt͡ʃaːnˀuɬʔatħ), also formerly referred to as the Nootka, Nutka, Aht, Nuuchahnulth or Tahkaht, are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast in Canada. The term Nuu-chah-nulth is used to describe fifteen related tribes whose traditional home is on the west coast of Vancouver Island. In precontact and early post-contact times, the number of tribes was much greater, but the smallpox epidemics and other consequences of settler colonization resulted in the disappearance of some groups and the absorption of others into neighbouring groups.
Long-finned pilot whaleThe long-finned pilot whale (Globicephala melas) is a large species of oceanic dolphin. It shares the genus Globicephala with the short-finned pilot whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus). Long-finned pilot whales are known as such because of their unusually long pectoral fins. Pilot whales get their name from the original belief that there was a "pilot" or lead individual in their groups. The name for the genus, "Globicephala" is derived from a combination of Latin globus ("globe") and Greek kephale ("head").
Atlantic white-sided dolphinThe Atlantic white-sided dolphin (Lagenorhynchus acutus) is a distinctively coloured dolphin found in the cool to temperate waters of the North Atlantic Ocean. The dolphin is slightly larger than most other oceanic dolphins. It is just over a meter in length at birth, growing to about (males) and (females) at maturity. It weighs 180–230 kg (400- 510 lb) once fully-grown. Females reach sexual maturity at between 6 and 12 years, and males between 7 and 11 years.
Melon-headed whaleThe melon-headed whale (Peponocephala electra), also known less commonly as the electra dolphin, little killer whale, or many-toothed blackfish, is a toothed whale of the oceanic dolphin family (Delphinidae). The common name is derived from the head shape. Melon-headed whales are widely distributed throughout deep tropical and subtropical waters worldwide, but they are rarely encountered at sea. They are found near shore mostly around oceanic islands, such as Hawaii, French Polynesia, and the Philippines.
Bryde's whaleBryde's whale (ˈbrʊdəz ), or the Bryde's whale complex, putatively comprises three species of rorqual and maybe four. The "complex" means the number and classification remains unclear because of a lack of definitive information and research. The common Bryde's whale (Balaenoptera brydei, Olsen, 1913) is a larger form that occurs worldwide in warm temperate and tropical waters, and the Sittang or Eden's whale (Balaenoptera edeni, Anderson, 1879) is a smaller form that may be restricted to the Indo-Pacific.
White-beaked dolphinThe white-beaked dolphin (Lagenorhynchus albirostris) is a marine mammal belonging to the family Delphinidae (oceanic dolphins) in the suborder Odontoceti (toothed whales). The species was first described by the British taxonomist John Edward Gray in 1846. Due to its relative abundance in European waters, it was among the first of the genus Lagenorhynchus (lagenos, Latin for "bottle" or "flask"; rhynchos, "beak" or "snout") to be known to science.
Weddell sealThe Weddell seal (Leptonychotes weddellii) is a relatively large and abundant true seal with a circumpolar distribution surrounding Antarctica. The Weddell seal was discovered and named in the 1820s during expeditions led by British sealing captain James Weddell to the area of the Southern Ocean now known as the Weddell Sea. The life history of this species is well documented since it occupies fast ice environments close to the Antarctic continent and often adjacent to Antarctic bases.
