Wildlife Spotting On The West Coast

One of the most anticipated parts of joining a sea kayaking tour is the potential for wildlife spotting. Marine, and terrestrial creatures, both vertebrates and invertebrates, are abundant in this area of the Pacific Ocean –though a sighting cannot be guaranteed! In this article, the most common animals will be described by their main habitat, population status, which tours they are most likely to be spotted on, and spotting potential, as well as their looks and characteristics.

If you’re looking for birds to check off your list, stay tuned for another blog post coming soon

In this article, population status is used to determine how healthy the population of a species is as well as if it is threated and by what. Status can be broken down into (in order from least concern to most concern): Data Deficient, Least Concern, At Risk, and Endangered, with one species falling out of these categories as Invasive.

Terrestrial Mammals

Vancouver Island Black Bear

Scientific Name: Ursus americanus vancouveri
Habitat: Forested Areas and Shorelines
Status: Least Concern
Spotting Potential: Low – Medium
Most Commonly Spotted On: Harbour Tour, Barkley Sound Tours

Description: these black bears are slightly larger, more active during daytime, and have a different diet than their mainland cousins. They spend their days scouting for food (berries, crabs, detritus, kelp, etc.) in the forest and shorelines, making them perfect to spot on a kayaking tour! 1 – 3 (sometimes up to 5) cubs are born during hibernation and can later be seen in the spring looking for food and playing on the shorelines alongside their mothers. They are facing threats from hunting and human interaction as the bears seek out food from garbage, compost bins, fruit trees, and campers’ food.

Black Tail Deer

Scientific Name: Odocoileus hemionus columbianus
Habitat: Nearby Forested Areas and Small Islands with Tree Cover
Status: Least Concern
Spotting Potential: Medium
Most Commonly Spotted On: Broken Group Islands

Description: this species of deer is incredibly common especially in urban or residential areas. They can often be mistaken for mule deer but can be differentiated by their black tail and darker colour. Aside from normal grazing, these deer can sometimes be seen on shorelines eating kelp. Pregnant doe's have also been known to swim to small islands to give birth as it is a safer area away from predators.

Vancouver Island Cougar

Scientific Name: Felis concolor vancouverensis
‍Habitat: Forested and/or Mountainous Regions
‍Status: Least Concern
Spotting Potential: Low (and hopefully from a distance…)
Most Likely to be Spotted On: Clayoquot Tour

Description: like most large cats, cougars are not one you want to run into up close – they’re much more likely to see you than you are to see them. They differ from their mainland cousins by their darker reddish-brown coat and are more likely to swim to islands in search of prey – their favourite is black tail deer! They are incredibly good hunters thanks to their speed and ability to climb and hide from prey in trees.

Raccoon

Scientific Name: Procyon lotor
Habitat: Forested Areas
Status: Least Concern
Spotting Potential: Medium
Most Commonly Spotted On: Broken Group Islands, Clayoquot Sound, Harbour Tour

Description: these raccoons are unlike what you may have experienced before – rummaging through your garbage – the racoons of Lyche Island have a more natural lifestyle. They eat kelp, wild nuts, and berries, and whatever else they can find on the shorelines of the island. They camouflage well into the rocky shorelines, so keep a lookout on the Harbour Tour. Be careful to secure your food and kayak hatches at the campsites because they target kayakers.

Marine Mammals

Coastal Wolf

Scientific Name: Canis lupus nubilus
Habitat: Great Bear Rainforest, Coastal and Remote Areas Vancouver Island, or Surrounding Islands
Status: at risk (Hunting, Habitat Loss, and Decreasing Salmon Stocks)
Spotting Potential: Low
Most Commonly Spotted On: Broken Group Tours, Clayoquot Tour

Description: Coastal wolves are actually considered ‘marine mammals’ due to their diet consisting mainly of salmon and seals. They are generally smaller and slimmer than grey wolves, as well as their fur has red and brown tinges rather than the black flecks of grey wolves to better blend into the coastal environment. With their camouflage and their skillful stealth, there is a low probability of spotting them, but sometimes a distant howl can be heard from camp on a Broken Group Tour or Clayoquot Sound Tour!  Like Vancouver Island cougars, these wolves will swim to find food.

Sea Otter

Scientific Name: Enhydra lutris
Habitat: Along Coastline in Kelp Forest Areas
Status: Endangered
Spotting Potential: Low
Most Commonly Spotted On: Boat Shuttles to Broken Group Tours, Clayoquot Sound

Description: The sea otter is a well-loved marine mammal known for being cuddly and fluffy. This otter has a brown body with a round, blonde face. They are typically 1.5m/5ft long and weigh 36kg/79lbs! Sea otters tend to live in small groups and form rafts to stay together. They have the densest fur of all animals (100,000 hairs/cm2) which keeps them warm and afloat. Because of this, the species was over hunted and was extirpated (extinct in the wild) until sea otters from Alaska were introduced to Vancouver Island around 1969. Their numbers are still low, though slowly increasing. They can sometimes be spotted during boat shuttles to the Broken Group if there is extra time to look around in the outer islands.

River Otter

Scientific Name: Ludra canadensis
Habitat: Nearby or in a Water Source (Freshwater or the Ocean)
Status: Least Concern (Sensitive to Water Pollution
Spotting Potential: Low – Medium
Most Commonly Spotted On: Harbour Tour

Description: The river otter is similar in size to the sea otter but is less fuzzy looking with sharper features. They have a dark brown body with a lighter brown patch on their lower face and neck, as well as small ears and a long, skinny tail. Like sea otters, their fur helps insulate them in the cold waters – because of this, they can withstand swimming and hunting in frozen over lakes. They can often be spotted on docks or swimming to look for food in the Ucluelet Harbour, travelling in small groups.

Harbour Seal

Scientific Name: Phoca vitulina
Habitat: On Small Rock Shelves or in the Water Nearshore and Sometimes even in Lakes (Kennedy Lake!)
Status: Least Concern
Spotting Potential: Medium – High
Most Commonly Spotted On: Harbour Tour, Barkley Sound Tours,

Description: Seals blend in well with buoys when they poke out of the water to look around which makes it difficult to spot them on the Harbour Tour. They are quite curious creatures, especially pups, and have been known to pop up near the group. Seals are one of the most common creatures to spot on all of our tours. When looking for food in murky waters, harbour seals can use their whiskers to pick up vibrations from prey! And despite their round and blubbery appearance, they are amazingly nimble in the water, though certainly not on land. When sunning themselves on a rock, Harbour seals might go into a ‘banana pose’ which means they’re happy!

California Sea Lion

Scientific Name: Zalophus californianus
Habitat: Nearshore in the Water, on Rocks, or on Docks
Status: Least Concern
Spotting Potential: Medium – High
Most Commonly Spotted On: Harbour Tour, Outer Waters, During Boat Shuttles

Description: The cacophony of barking California sea lions can be heard throughout Ucluelet during early summer and again at the end. California sea lions will migrate to rookeries in California (hence the name) between May and August, though some have been known to hang around the Ucluelet Harbour all summer long. These ones can often be seen on the Harbour Tour chasing fishing boats or sleeping on a small dock near the boat launch, or perhaps evening swimming up beside the group to investigate. California sea lions are smaller than Stellar sea lions (by about 1500lbs) and have brown or black fur with a blond cap on their heads. Sea lions can be differentiated from seals by their larger size, angular facial features, larger hind fins, and small pointy ears.

Stellar Sea Lion

Scientific Name: Eumetopias jubatus
Habitat: Nearshore in the Water or on Rocks
Status: Least Concern
Spotting Potential: Low - Medium
Most Commonly Spotted On: Outer Waters Tour, During Boat Shuttles

Description: Stellar sea lions are the largest of all sea lions, weighing upwards of 2500lbs. Their skulls look incredibly similar to a grizzly skull, which you have a chance to spot on your walk down to the beach for the Harbour Tour, Outside Waters Tour, or to get on the boat shuttle. It is unlikely you’ll spot one on the Harbour Tour as they tend to live away from civilization.

Northern Resident & Transient Orcas

Scientific Name: Orcinus orca
Habitat: Inland waters from Washington to Alaska
Status: Endangered (Resident) & At Risk (Transient)
Spotting Potential: Low – Medium – often see blows from a distance
Most Commonly Spotted On: Outer Waters Tour, Clayoquot Tour, Broken Group Tours, during shuttles

Description: The difference between resident and transient orcas is residents eat fish (primarily salmon) and transients eat mammals (primarily harbour seals). On our tours we will typically see the Northern residents or transients which go between Vancouver Island and South-Eastern Alaska. The residents have their own unique calls (they are quite chatty as the fish they hunt are not very sensitive to sound) which can be used to differentiate from them transients, along with smaller more angled dorsal fins and small saddle patches. The transients can be identified by a large, straight dorsal fin and a large saddle patch. Transients are much less vocal and do not breach as often as the residents as they use stealth to hunt. Because of the decline in salmon stocks and increasing noise from transport vessels, the resident populations are considered endangered. As well, both transients and residents are threatened by contaminants (chemicals and plastics) in the water.

Humpback Whale

Scientific Name: Megaptera novaeangliae
Habitat: All Major Oceans, Spend Summer in Cooler, Feed-Rich Waters (Vancouver Island), and Winters in Tropical/Subtropical Waters to Mate and Calve
Status: At Risk (but #’s increasing!)
Spotting Potential: Low – Medium
Most Commonly Spotted On: Outer Waters Tour, Clayoquot Tour, Broken Group Tours, during shuttles

Description: these whales are the largest to visit Vancouver Island and are exceptionally vocal. Some Humpback songs can last between 10 to 20 minutes! As they do not have vocal cords, they force air through their nasal cavities to sing instead. They can also eat up to 2 tonnes each day to build up their blubber supply for the winter. To achieve this goal, some whales will create bubble nets which contain a school of bait fish close to the surface and then lunge up to the surface to catch them in their large mouths. To identify them, each whale has a different pattern on the underside of their fluked tails. Like orcas, it is also very common to see whale blows from a distance rather than seeing them up close, but they have been known to swim through the deeper channels of the Broken Group, so keep a close eye – especially if you’ve stopped or camped on Gibraltar Island on a Broken Group Tour!

Marine Invertebrates

Sea Stars

Scientific Name: Pisaster ochraceus
Habitat: The Intertidal Zone
Status: Least Concern (considerations for Sea Star Wasting Disease)
Spotting Potential: High
Most Commonly Spotted On: All Tours

Description: The ochre sea star is the most common of all sea stars on Vancouver Island. It can either be purple, orange, or brown in colour, and looks like a traditional sea star with 5 arms. These sea stars are scavengers, feeding on detritus or sedentary creatures such as mussels and barnacles.

Bat Star

Scientific Name: Asterina miniata
Habitat: Intertidal Zone to Shallow Subtidal Areas
Status: Data Deficient (considerations for Sea Star Wasting Disease)
Spotting Potential: Medium – High
Most Commonly Spotted On: Broken Group Tours, Barkley Sound Tours, Clayoquot Tours

Description: this sea star is typically found in shallow areas, but still below the low tide line. A bat star can be spotted easily in the shallow passages around Willis Island and Dodd Island on a Broken Group Tour! It can be blue, red, and even green or a mixed colour. They have a larger body with shorter arms than the ochre sea star.

Leather Star

Scientific Name: Dermasterias imbricata
Habitat: The Intertidal Zone
Status: Data Deficient (considerations for Sea Star Wasting Disease)
Spotting Potential: High
Most Commonly Spotted On: Harbour Tour, Barkley Sound Tours, Broken Group Tours, Clayoquot Sound Tours

Description: The leather star is another commonly found sea star. It is a greyish colour with red or orange spots and a yellowy spot in the centre. It gets its name from its smooth feel, which is unlike other spiny sea stars. It also smells like garlic - though it should not be pulled out of the water to see if this is true or not!

Giant Pink Sea Star

Scientific Name: Pisaster brevispinus
Habitat: Intertidal to Subtidal Zones
Status: Data Deficient (considerations for Sea Star Wasting Disease)
Spotting Potential: Low - Medium
Most Commonly Spotted On: Harbour Tours, Broken Group Tours

Description: This sea star is one of the larger species to inhabit Vancouver Island’s waters, growing up to 99cm/39in across and weighs more than 10lbs! It is pink as its name describes, has 5 arms, and many small spines. It can be seen most frequently on the Harbour Tour in shallow waters.

Crustaceans

Purple Shore Crab

Scientific Name: Hemigrapsus nudus
Habitat: The Intertidal Zone
Status: Data Deficient
Spotting Potential: Medium - High
Most Commonly Spotted On: All Tours (Onshore During Breaks, Lunch, etc.)

Description: the purple shore crab is one of the most common crabs to spot, just flip over a rock at low tide and there will likely be a dozen! They stay quite small, only reaching 5cm/2in, which also means their pinch is not very powerful. Confusingly, the purple shore crab can also be green in colour but can be differentiated from the green shore crab by a lack of small hairs on their legs. As male and female crabs often look very similar, the main way to tell them apart is to flip them over and if they have a honeycomb pattern, they are female, or if they have a lighthouse pattern, they are male.

Green Shore Crab (Hairy Shore Crab)

Scientific Name: Hemigrapsus oregonensis
Habitat: The Intertidal Zone
Status: Data Deficient
Spotting Potential: High
Most Commonly Spotted On: All Tours (onshore)

Description: this crab is also called the hairy shore crab for the fine hairs, or setae, which come off its legs (shown in photo above). As mentioned above, the green shore crab is incredibly similar to the purple shore crab, which can also be green in colour, in size and most characteristics. Because of its small size and weak pinch, it is an easy crab to pick up and look at!

Northern Kelp Crab

Scientific Name: Pugettia productus
Habitat: Intertidal Zone to 75m/245ft, On Pilings, Kelp Beds, or Climbing Up Bull Kelp
Status: Data Deficient
Spotting Potential: Low - Medium
Most Commonly Spotted On: All Tours (When Paddling Over Kelp Forests)

Description: this kelp crab can be yellowy, green, or red in colour. It is common to paddle over forests of bull kelp or giant kelp, and guides will often get the group to hold on to a piece of kelp to stay in place on a break. This is a great time to look for kelp crabs, though make sure one doesn’t sneak onboard the kayak! Occasionally this kelp crab will attach pieces of kelp to small points on their heads as snacks for later.

Red Rock Crab

Scientific Name: Cancer productus
Habitat: Intertidal to Subtidal, in Rock, Gravel, or Kelp Beds
Status: Data Deficient
Spotting Potential: Low - Medium
Most Commonly Spotted On: All Tours (onshore or on rock walls)

Description: Likely the largest species of crab seen on any of our kayaking tours. They can get to as large as 16cm/6in across, but are considered too small for commercial fishing, which is why Dungeness crabs are restaurants’ chosen favourite. Red rock crabs also pack a mean pinch, so use caution when picking them up! When landing for a Multiday Broken Group Tour on Moon Snail Beach, these crabs can be easily spotted crawling along the sand in the clear water.

European Green Crab

Scientific Name: Carcinus maenas
Habitat: The Intertidal Zone in Shallow, Muddy, Sandy, or Pebble Bottomed Areas
Status: Invasive!
Spotting Potential: Low - Medium
Most Commonly Spotted On: Broken Group Tours, Barkley Sound Tours

Description: This crab is deemed by many “one of the ten most unwanted species in the world”. It can reach up to 10cm/4in across and its defining feature aside from colour is its two different size claws. It arrived in Eastern Canada in 1951 and came to BC in 1998/1999. This crab also has a less rigid shell than other crabs, so it may feel squishy when picked up.

Sea Jellies

Moon Jelly

Scientific Name: Aurelia aurita & Aurelia labiata
Habitat: Coastal Areas in Harbours or Bays and Open Waters Near the Surface
Status: Least Concern (Increasing Population with Ocean Acidification)
Spotting Potential: Medium
Most Commonly Spotted On: All Tours

Description: this jelly has a translucent, scalloping bell which can be between 10cm/4in to 45cm/17in. It does not have long trailing tentacles like other species of jellies found in the area and also does not sting unless it can get to mucous membranes – so avoid throwing one at someone’s face! They are characterized by their short tentacles and their 4 horseshoe-shaped gonads. A male has purple gonads and a female has light pink or brown gonads. In some areas of Vancouver Island, typically small and warm bays during spring or early summer, moon jellies will aggregate together in the hundreds to millions – also known as a jelly bloom or swarm – though this does not take place in the Ucluelet Harbour.

Water Jelly

Scientific Name: Auquorea victoria
Habitat: Along Coastlines Near Shore
Status: Least Concern (Increasing with Ocean Acidification)
Spotting Potential: Medium
Most Commonly Spotted On: Harbour Tour

Description: Water jellies are quite small, reaching around 17.5cm/7in in diameter. They can be identified by their ‘spokes’ – many lines coming out from the centre of their bell, like a bicycle wheel. These jellies have short tentacles and also do not sting, making them great to pick up and examine. Moon jellies are bioluminescent, meaning they shine greenish blue in dark light.

Red-Eyed Medusa Jelly

Scientific Name: Polyorchis pencillatus
Habitat: Along Coastlines Near Shore
Status: Least Concern (Increasing with Ocean Acidification)
Spotting Potential: Medium
Most Commonly Spotted On: Harbour Tour

Description: This jelly gets its name from the red eyespots that encircle the bottom of its bell. These eyespots are not truly eyes but are light sensitive and help the jelly stay oriented. While they tend to go deeper in the water during the day, they can still often be spotted in the Ucluelet Harbour. They are a small jelly with a tall bell, rather than the flattish circular bells of the two above, which only reaches 4cm/1.5in. They have longer tentacles, though they can be retracted to shorter lengths. Though they also do not sting, their tentacles can be quite sticky and may break off when picked up, so it is best to leave them be.

Fried Egg Jelly

Scientific Name: Phacellophora camtschatica
Habitat: Coastal Waters Around the World
Status: Least Concern (Increasing with Ocean Acidification)
Spotting Potential: Low - Medium
Most Commonly Spotted On: All Tours

Description: The fried egg jelly is exactly like its name: translucent-white bell with a yellow centre (gonads). This jelly can get quite large, 60cm/24in in diameter and can have tentacles as long as 6m/20ft! Its size makes it easy to spot even from a distance in the Ucluelet Harbour and can be intriguing to paddle beside – but this jelly does have a mild sting, so keep hands out of the water.

Lion’s Mane Jelly

Scientific Name: Cyanea capillata
Habitat: Coastal, Cooler Waters
Status: Least Concern (Increasing with Ocean Acidification)
Spotting Potential: Low
Most Commonly Spotted On: All Tours

Description: The lion’s mane jelly is certainly the largest species of jelly to be spotted on a kayaking tour and is the largest in the world. It can be identified by its 8-lobed bell which can be yellow, red, pink, purple, or white and its many tentacles – 70-150. It can be 20cm/8in or more in diameter (largest was 2.5m/8ft) with its tentacles reaching lengths between 9m/29.5ft to 36m/118ft. And this jelly’s sting can pack a punch, so just look, don’t touch!

Anemones

Giant Green Anemone

Scientific Name: Anthopleura xanthogrammica
Habitat: On Rocks in Tide Pools, Surf Beaches, or Surge Channels
Status: Data Deficient (at risk from microplastic pollution)
Spotting Potential: Medium - High
Most Commonly Spotted On: All Tours (at mid-low tides)

Description: Also known as the green surf anemone, it is one of the most common anemones to spot on a kayaking tour. They can be up to 30cm/11in wide and tall and tend to aggregate together in small groups, though they prefer to be separate when space is available. It can be bright green, light green, bright blue, or greyish blue. This anemone has a symbiotic relationship with an alga that lives in its tissues: the algae is protected by the anemone while the anemone gains nutrients from the algae. They will eat mostly what is swept into their reach, but most commonly will eat small fish and invertebrates. They have also been spotted eating seabird nestlings.

Pink-tipped Anemone

Scientific Name: Anthopleura elegantissima
Habitat: On Rocks in Tide Pools, Surge Channels, and On Rock Walls
Status: Data Deficient (at risk from microplastic pollution)
Spotting Potential: Medium - High
Most Commonly Spotted On: All Tours (at mid-low tides on rock walls or onshore)

Description: Another common intertidal species to spot on a kayaking tour, this anemone is small at 8cm/3in in diameter and 15cm/6in tall. It is also known as the aggregate green anemone. It is named for the pink tips on its tentacles and has an olive-green body similar to the Giant Green Anemone. This species also has a symbiotic relationship with algae, though this time the algae provides the green colour to the anemone, and when no alga is present the anemone can become white with pink tips.

Other Marine Invertebrates

California Sea Cucumber

Scientific Name: Apostichopus californicus
Habitat: The Intertidal and Subtidal Zones
Status: Least Concern
Spotting Potential: Low - Medium
Most Commonly Spotted On: Harbour Tour, Barkley Sound Tours, Broken Group Tours, Clayoquot Sound Tours

Description: Also known as the giant red sea cucumber, this species is the largest to be found on Vancouver Island. It is most commonly reddish-brown, brown, or yellowy brown with orange papillae which look like spikes, and a cream-coloured underside. When underwater, it looks cylindrical with spikes, but when taken out of water the spikes collapse and it is quite soft. It can reach lengths up to 50cm/19.5in and is very popular as food in parts of Asia. As a defense mechanism, sea cucumbers will expel their digestive tract – which they can regenerate entirely – leaving a gross mess behind, so be careful when picking one up!

Lewis’ Moon Snail

‍Scientific Name: Euspira lewisii
Habitat: Sandy Intertidal or Subtidal Areas
Status: Least Concern
Spotting Potential: Medium
Most Commonly Spotted On: Harbour Tour, Broken Group Tours, Barkley Sound Tours, Clayoquot Sound Tours

Description: the Lewis moon snail is the largest species of marine snail in the world! Its shell can be 14cm/5.5in across and has a cream-coloured body and brownish shell. When landing on Moon Snail Beach for a Broken Group Multiday or starting a Harbour Tour, keep an eye out in the shallow waters for it, though it can be hard to spot as it often buries itself. This snail leaves behind large egg casings known as sand collars which often look like tires or grey urns. These snails also feed using their drill-like tongue, called a radula, to drill into shells of clams and other similar shellfish.