The State of Baja California is a peninsula located in the extreme northwest of Mexico that stands out for having a great marine fauna. In it we find all kinds of animals that will surprise and captivate you.
If your intention is to travel around Baja California and discover what animals are hiding there, you've come to the right place. Keep reading this article on our site and discover the Baja California marine animals.
White shark
The great shark lives near shorelines where the water is shallower. The largest specimens actually live in Baja California and migrate for at least 100 days a year to Hawaii to an area known as "El Café del Tiburón Blanco". Their diet is based on fur seals, seals, dolphins and even sea turtles.
Known to be one of the most dangerous and feared sharks, it can attack for three different reasons:
- The great white shark may consider you a threat in its hunting area, it may bite you as a warning.
- It is also possible that he will bite as he hasn't seen a human being before, his curiosity will make him try to taste you.
- He may mistake you for one of his regular victims.
The white shark is one of the most beautiful animals that lives and moves through Baja California. Although the total population of this species is unknown, the reality is that its wild state is threatened and it is considered an animal "vulnerable" to survival.
Gray whale
This species of whale, the grey whale, can be found in the Pacific Ocean between the waters off Alaska and those covering the Baja California.
Weighing 20 tons and 15 meters long, the gray whale feeds on small crustaceans called krill, which live in the muddy bottoms of the sea. It is a beautiful and incredible animal to observe due to its large size. In addition, its movements are quite slow and it usually stays close to the coast, which makes it possible to enjoy its observation in case it is found. The best times to spot one are usually between the months of November and May.
Due to its near-total disappearance in the 19th century, when it was considered extinct, the gray whale is now protected as a Least Concern.
Sea Otter
The Sea Otter is a species of mammal in the weasel family. In adulthood, a male can reach 1.5 meters in length and reach a weight of 45 kilos. Females measure between 1 and 1.4 meters and weigh between 14 and 33 kilograms. It is therefore one of the smallest marine mammals in the world
The concern for the conservation of the otter began in 1911. Even so, illegal hunting, being the prey of the white shark and pollution have led the otter to be endangered, it is also a threatened animal.
Guadalupe fur seal
The Guadalupe fur seal is a species of mammal that lives on the island of Guadalupe in northwestern Mexico. Unlike common sea lions, it is characterized by having a very thin skin made up of two layers of hair, one thick and the other thin.
These are incredibly heavy animals that vary between 80 and 380 kilograms in weight. Like the gray whale, it is in a Near Threatened. status.
Elephant seal
The Elephant Seal, also known as Mirounga, is a genus that is made up of two species that live throughout the Pacific Ocean. Specifically, the northern elephant seal lives off the coasts of Mexico and California.
This animal can reach a length of 6 meters and weigh 4 tons and feeds on molluscs and all kinds of fish. Its main threat is the great white shark, although it was the man who put it in a Least Concern situation by hunting it for its meat, skin and fat. Thanks to the protection provided to this unusual species, slight increases in its population have been observed.
Common Seal
The Common Seal Also called the Spotted Seal due to the dark spots it has all around its body, it is a species of brown, tan, or gray mammal.
Adults can weigh 130 kilos and reach a height of 1.85. The females, smaller and lighter, can live 35 years compared to the 25 that a male can live.
Bottle nose dolphin
The dolphin bottlenose or bottlenose dolphin is the most common species of the more than 30 that make up the dolphin family. In the wild, they live in groups of 12 animals, although most bottlenose dolphins are forced to be part of zoo shows where they live isolated and exploited.
It is a very sociable animal and has great intelligence that even allows it to be aware of itself. These are Baja California's most characteristic marine animals.
