Introduction

The coast of California spans more than 1,100 miles and if you include the small bays and inlets, which in part are what make it so dynamic and diverse, the number goes up to over 3,000 miles.

It is the third longest coastline in the country. With the Pacific Ocean to the West, the California coast serves as a central hub of activity for humans and animals alike. Coexistence proves to be a challenge but the local wildlife fights for a chance to call this unique area home.

More than twenty-thousand rock formations and small islands line the California coast. These uniquely formed habitats are home to a variety of marine mammals, seabirds and shorebirds. An abundance of sea life fills the tide pools along the rocks when the powerful tide ebbs. Dropping beneath the waves of the Pacific Ocean lies a rich aquatic ecosystem with too many living organisms to count.

This precious coastal habitat holds creatures unknown to many other areas of the world. California has more native species than any other U.S. state and has the greatest number of endemic species, or animals that are not found anywhere else on the planet.

The coastal geography is home to not only a variety of aquatic wildlife but also terrestrial animals that inhabit the myriad vegetation that forms near the coastline. Catch a glimpse of the rich diversity of flora and fauna that graces the Golden State’s coast in the pages to come.

Bioluminescence occurs along the coast of California. This phenomenon is caused by dinoflagellates—a type of plankton. These marine organisms emit a flash of light in order to attract a predator to the creature trying to consume it.