Animals


The Island Scrub Jay is found only on Santa Cruz Island. It is closely related to the Western Scrub Jay found in the western U.S. It's about 1/3 larger and has a more striking blue color.	The Common Side-blotched Lizard is found in many parts of the western U.S. This one was enjoying the sun near the beach on Santa Cruz Island.

The two snakes normally found on Santa Cruz Island (the spotted night snake was reported on the island in 1939 but has not been seen since). Neither are venomous.

Santa Cruz Island Gopher Snake (Pituophis melanoleucus pumilus is found on both Santa Cruz and Santa Rosa Islands. It is a dwarf species of gopher snake reaching only about 4 feet in length. Follow this link to read detailed information about the snake.	Racer (Coluber constrictor mormon) ranges from western North America, from south-central British Columbia south through southern California or Baja California, east to the Rocky Mountains

The Pallid Bat is found across much of American west. These bat were roosting in a barn at the main ranch. The following information applies to mainland Pallid bats: It differs from most North American bats in that it hunts primarily ground-dwelling and slow-flying prey, including moths, cicadas, crickets, scorpions and even small mice and lizards (it is immune to scorpion venom).


The California Sister (that's what I'm told it is) is found from southern Oregon, south into Mexico and eastward to Colorado and Texas. I found this one on the beach on Santa Cruz Island.	I'm told that this is a form of Long-horned Beetle. It's big!


The Bewick's Wren breeds from Canada south to Mexico and the Gulf states, and it winters south to Gulf Coast.	This pair was busy feeding nestlings.	Here they are together. This is not the first year they have picked this site for a nest.

Loggerhead Shrike
Photos and text provided by Julia Hicks

Santa Cruz Island is home to a fascinating subspecies of the Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus anthonyi). This subspecies occurs nowhere else in the world except on the Northern Channel Islands. Shrikes, otherwise known as Butcher Birds, have a unique habit of impaling their prey because as a passerine, they are too weak to kill their victim on their own. They can be seen bashing lizards or mice on barbed wire fences or sharp cactus. Shrikes occur in open grassland with scattered dense shrubs such as Rhus integrifolia and Salix sp. The anthonyi subspecies has not been studied until recently, but casual surveys conducted over the last 10 years indicate that this island endemic is truly rare. Efforts will be made this spring of 2006 to further understand the island shrike's ecology and determine the total population remaining.

Marine Mammals

Click on a photo below
to see a large version

The California sea lion ranges from the North American Pacific coast, south of Vancouver down to Baja California. They are a very common site.


The Common Dolphin swimming along with us in the Santa Barbara Channel.	Common dolphins are widely distributed with many different populations in all oceans.


Risso's Dolphin	They are found worldwide in temperate and tropical waters, usually in deep waters rather than close to land.	They are found in warm watered parts of the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, Risso's are also found in the Mediterranean and Red Seas.

California sea otter was hunted to near extinction but is now protected under the endangered species act. They are a rare site near Santa Cruz Island.

Humpback Whale

They are found in all the world's oceans.

Most populations of follow a regular migration route, summering in temperate and polar waters for feeding, and wintering in tropical waters for mating and calving.

Gray whale. Click on the photo to see a video of two gray whales diving. This is a great video, but it will take some time to load (even at high speed) once the window opens.

Gray whales inhabit shallow coastal waters of the eastern North Pacific. They make one of the longest of all mammalian migrations, averaging 10,000-14,000 miles, from their feeding grounds near Alaska to their mating and calving lagoons in Baja California, Mexico.

Gray whales can usually be seen off the California coast from about mid December to around mid May.

Land Animals & Birds Click on a photo below to see a large version

This is the endangered Santa Cruz Island Fox. There are about 150 of these animals left in the wild. This one was located in a breeding pen. They usually weigh about 4 pounds and are about the size of a house cat.	The fox is found only on Santa Cruz Island. It is rare to find these animals in the wild, especially during the day. I took this photo though a vehicle window.


The Island Spotted Skunk is found only on Santa Cruz and Santa Rosa Islands. This one was attracted by the smell of Sarah Chaney's cooking hamburger. I love this picture: skunk meets human!	Like many animals found on islands, they are not very afraid of humans - this one sure was not!	I'm told that spotted skunks are not very aggressive (they don't spay unless seriously provoked) and that the smell does not stay with you long (unlike stripped skunks). Sarah was no so sure.


The Pallid Bat is found across much of American west. These bat were roosting in a barn at the main ranch.	The following information applies to mainland Pallid bats: It differs from most North American bats in that it hunts primarily ground-dwelling and slow-flying prey, including moths, cicadas, crickets, scorpions and even small mice and lizards (it is immune to scorpion venom).