What We Do

Education

CIMWI fulfills its commitment to education through:

Educating beachgoers during stranded marine mammal assessments and rescues

Providing training to beach support personnel and local organizations that come in contact with marine mammals

Participating in local festivals and events with an educational booth

Creating and delivering educational lessons for local schools

Providing educational lectures to groups

Offering educational resource materials to the general public

Brochure

To download a PDF version of CIMWI's brochure, click here.

Species Information

Ventura County has 43 miles of coastline and the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary is off its coast. The 1,252 square nautical mile sanctuary encompasses the waters surrounding Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, San Miguel and Santa Barbara Island. The nutrient rich waters attract a plethora of marine life. The Channel Islands' waters are host to 30 types of cetaceans and six pinniped species. There are also habitats for breeding populations of California sea lions, northern fur seals, harbor seals and northern elephant seals.

For more information on marine mammals, click on the links below for PDF documents.

Cetaceans - Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises

Cetaceans are an order of marine mammals composed of approximately 78 species of whales, dolphins and porpoises. There are two types of Cetaceans, Mysticetes (baleen whales) and Odontocetes (toothed whales). Learn more...

Pinnipeds - Seals, Sea Lions and Walruses

Pinniped means "fin-footed" and refers to marine mammals that have front and hind flippers. These animals live at sea but are able to come onto land for long periods of time. Learn more...

California Sea Lion

Zalophus californianus

California sea lions are members of the "eared seal" family, Otariidae.

They have external ear flaps, an elongated snout and a long neck which gives their face a dog-like appearance. Learn more...

Pacific Harbor Seal

Phoca vitulina

Pacific harbor seals are part of the "true seal" family, Phocidae.

They have ear slits instead of external ear holes. They have short fore fippers which results in limited locamotion on land. Learn more...

Northern Elephant Seal

Mirounga angustirostris

Northern elephant seals are the largest member of the "true seal" family, Phocidae.

They were named for the large inflatable nose that adult males develop. It hangs over their lower lip and resembles an elephant's trunk. Learn more...

Guadalupe Fur Seal

Arctocephalus townsendi

Guadalupe fur seals are members of the "eared seal" family, Otariidae.

They have external ear flaps and a narrow, flat head with a pointed, long and narrow snout. Learn more...

Northern Fur Seal

Callorhinus ursinus

Northern fur seals are members of the "eared seal" family, Otariidae.

They have a stocky body, small head and a very short snout. They have dense coats and the fur extends to the writst line on their fore flippers. Learn more...

Steller Sea Lion

Eumetopias jubatus

Steller sea lions (also known as northern sea lions) are the largest member of the "eared seal" family, Otariidae.

They have a blunt face and a boxy, bear-like head. They rotate their hind flippers underneath their body to walk on land. Learn more...

Domoic Acid

Domoic Acid is a neurotoxin produced by a specific phytoplankton, Pseudonitzschia australis. Although the production of this neurotoxin is a naturally occurring phenomenon, extreme proliferation of these marine algae can be harmful. Ingestion of this toxin affects the brain and impacts a marine mammal's ability to survive in its natural, wild environment. Learn more...