Monarch Resort > Attractions > Watchable Wildlife

Among the favorite neighbors of the Monarch Resort are the varieties of watchable wildlife that grace the surroundings. The unique eco-system of Pacific Grove and the Monterey Peninsula are among the best places on earth to view a variety species from both the land and sea. You will find everything from Butterflies, rare trees and flowers to marine mammals and seabirds.

Just off the shore of the Monterey Peninsula the Monterey Submarine Canyon allows deep water species of whales, dolphins, and seabirds to occur very near the coast. Plus, the local waters rich with nutrients and bait fish encourage shallow water species, such as the gray whale, sea lions and seals to thrive close to shore in the narrow shelf region.

Watchable Wildlife Cruises depart from Monterey's Fisherman's Wharf at 10 am, 12 pm and 2 pm daily. You will frequently observe a large variety of creatures on this 1 1/2 to 2 hour trip

Gray Whales

Gray whales have the longest known migration of any mammal. They travel 10,000-12,000 miles round trip every year between their winter calving lagoons in the warm waters of Mexico and their summer feeding grounds in the cold Arctic seas. Thanks to its near-shore migration route, we can observe the gray whale along its journey.

It is widely believed that Monterey is the best place along the California coast to observe gray whales. The shallow continental shelf does not extend very far from shore off Monterey due to the near-shore Monterey Submarine Canyon. Comparable in size and shape to the Grand Canyon, it extends over 50 miles offshore. In some places this canyon is 12,000 feet deep! Dense kelp beds grow near shore over the rocky bottom areas. These areas create a diversity of habitats for marine animals. The Monterey Submarine Canyon is surrounded by the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary - the largest United States National Marine Sanctuary. The entire Gray Whale population migrates within three miles of the Monterey coastline every winter and spring. Whales migrate north from mid February through May, peaking during mid March. Most adult and juvenile whales pass Monterey on their way to Alaska by mid April. Mother gray whales heading north with their new calves pass Monterey in April and May.

About the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary

The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary has one of the most diverse and abundant assemblages of marine animals in the world, including six species of pinniped, thirty-three species of cetacean, four species of sea turtles, ninety-four species of seabirds and one species of sea otter (fissiped).

The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary is mandated to approach resource protection from a broad, ecosystem based perspective. This requires consideration of a complex array of habitats, species, and interconnected processes and their relationship to human activities.

The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary provides many opportunities for wildlife viewing, including whale watching, bird watching, observation of pinniped pupping and haulout activities, and tidepooling.

Types of Wildlife in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary

The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary is known both nationally and internationally as a veritable 'hot spot' for viewing marine life. There is significant interest and public participation in activities found in the region that offer wildlife viewing accessibility. Following is a description of species present in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.

Cetaceans:Of the thirty-three species of cetaceans seen in the Monterey Bay area, about one third occur with frequency. Six of the whales are listed as endangered species: the blue, fin, humpback, gray, right, and sperm. Other cetaceans such as humpback whales, right whales, minke whales, fin whales, blue whales and killer whales also seasonally inhabit the waters within the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. The highest concentration areas of cetaceans are within the southern and central portions of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.

Pinnipeds:There are a total of 9 rookeries/colonies in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. The five species of pinnipeds considered common in the Monterey Bay area include California sea lions, Steller sea lions, Northern elephant seals, Northern fur seals, and Pacific harbor seals. An additional species, the Guadeloupe fur seal, has been reported from records of sick animals stranded on the beach.

Seabirds and shorebirds:Sanctuary waters are among the most heavily used by seabirds worldwide. Ninety-four species of seabird are known to occur regularly within and in the vicinity of the Sanctuary; approximately ninety species of tidal and wetland birds occur on the shores, marshes, and estuaries bordering Sanctuary waters. Several environmental features are responsible for the diverse assemblage of birds in the area, such as the Monterey Bay being located on the Pacific Flyway, allowing the birds a place to stopover during both north and south migrations between southern wintering grounds and northern breeding sites. The upwelling of nutrient-rich waters adjacent to the submarine canyon support highly productive food webs which provide abundant seabird prey, as well as the diversity of habitat types along the shore which increases the variety of bird species which utilize the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.

Fissipeds:The California or southern sea otter is a threatened species that is found throughout the shallow waters of Monterey Bay from Pismo Beach to Año Nuevo Island. Sea otters inhabit a narrow zone of coastal waters, normally staying within one mile from shore. They forage in both rocky and soft-sediment communities as well as in the kelp understory and canopy. They seldom are found in open waters deeper than 30 meters, preferring instead the kelp beds, which serve as vital resting, foraging, and nursery sites. Otters are an important part of the marine ecosystem. By foraging on kelp-eating macroinvertebrates (especially sea urchins) sea otters can, in many instances, influence the abundance and species composition of kelp assemblages and animals within nearshore communities (Riedman, 1987).

Turtles:The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary is home to four species of sea turtles that frequent its waters -the Green, Pacific Ridley, Leatherback and Loggerhead sea turtles. The leatherback is the most common. It is the largest turtle in the world and has the widest geographic range of any reptile. It is found in all of the world's major oceans and has been observed from the Artic Circle to the edges of the Antarctic convergence zone. Leatherbacks are also one of the deepest diving animals known-descending to depths in excess of 1,300 meters. The leatherback is the world's most endangered sea turtle with populations in the Pacific Ocean declining at a disastrous rate. Since 1980 populations have dropped by more than 90%, and the accidental killing of leatherbacks by high seas commercial fishing fleets is a major contributor to that decline.

California Sea Lion

California Sea Otter

Elephant Seal

Pacific Green Sea Turtle

California Least Tern

California Gray Whale

Humpback whales

Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary