Despite their location just off the coast—a mere stone’s throw from the suburban sprawl of Los Angeles—The California Channel Islands are a world away from the 21 million people who call Southern California their home.
The Channel Islands diverse terrain hosts an astonishing array of wildlife. Over 2,000 species of plants and animals can be found within the Channel Islands National Park and at least 145 of these species are only found on the islands and nowhere else on Earth. The Channel Islands harbor numerous types of terrestrial—or land—animals, including four unique species.
Added to the federal endangered species list in March
2004, the Island Fox (left) has been the top predator on many of the islands for
thousands
of
years.
The diminutive fox, the harvest mouse, deer mouse and the spotted skunk are
endemic
to the Channel Islands, meaning they exist nowhere else. These animals
share the islands with various bats, snakes, salamanders, frogs, and more
than 200 species of birds, including the island scrub jay (right).
The Channel Islands lie within the boundary of the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, which extends six nautical miles from the shores of the northern Channel Islands. The sanctuary’s waters teem with extraordinary life, nurtured by a fertile combination of warm and cool currents. Forests of giant kelp flourish offshore, providing important nurseries for fish and invertebrates. More than 26 different species of cetaceans, including the endangered blue, hump-back and sei whales, pass through on seasonal migrations. Onshore, sea lions and harbor seals sunbathe on beaches, while marine birds, including California brown pelicans, California least terns and western gulls, hover and nest nearby.
.jpg)