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Learn the wildlife of marine protected areas

Learn the wildlife of the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary

CA

1,014 species have research-grade observations in the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary on iNaturalist. KnowKi turns the most recorded into short lessons with real photos, from fish and seabirds to the life along the shore.

Waters off San Luis Obispo and northern Santa Barbara counties, designated in 2024.

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Most recorded here

The species with the most research-grade observations on iNaturalist, and how many each has. Most recorded doesn't mean native.

Birds

  1. Brown Pelican Pelecanus occidentalis270
  2. Sanderling Calidris alba190
  3. Western Gull Larus occidentalis188
  4. Heermann's Gull Larus heermanni125
  5. Hudsonian Whimbrel Numenius hudsonicus122
  6. Snowy Egret Egretta thula98
  7. Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis81
  8. Long-billed Curlew Numenius americanus68
  9. Snowy Plover Anarhynchus nivosus62
  10. Surf Scoter Melanitta perspicillata60

Plants

  1. Torrey's Surfgrass Phyllospadix torreyi20
  2. Scouring-pad alga Endocladia muricata12
  3. Green spongy cushion Codium setchellii9
  4. Seacliff Wild Buckwheat Eriogonum parvifolium8
  5. Green pin-cushion alga Cladophora columbiana8
  6. Lawn alga Chondracanthus canaliculatus8
  7. Eelgrass Zostera marina5
  8. Mazzaella flaccida5
  9. Turkish washcloth Mastocarpus papillatus5
  10. Turkish Towel Chondracanthus exasperatus5

Mammals

  1. California Sea Lion Zalophus californianus47
  2. Harbor Seal Phoca vitulina36
  3. Humpback Whale Megaptera novaeangliae31
  4. Common Bottlenose Dolphin Tursiops truncatus21
  5. Sea Otter Enhydra lutris10
  6. Common Dolphin Delphinus delphis9
  7. Northern Elephant Seal Mirounga angustirostris9
  8. Harbour Porpoise Phocoena phocoena7
  9. Bobcat Lynx rufus6
  10. Grey Whale Eschrichtius robustus5

Insects

  1. Convergent Lady Beetle Hippodamia convergens10
  2. Pictured Rove Beetle Thinopinus pictus7
  3. Leptoglossus zonatus6
  4. Spotted Cucumber Beetle Diabrotica undecimpunctata5
  5. Western Honey Bee Apis mellifera4
  6. Seven-spotted Lady Beetle Coccinella septempunctata4
  7. Monarch Danaus plexippus3
  8. Hairy-necked Tiger Beetle Cicindela hirticollis3

Fish

  1. Woolly Sculpin Clinocottus analis36
  2. Painted Greenling Oxylebius pictus30
  3. Cabezon Scorpaenichthys marmoratus25
  4. Brown Rockfish Sebastes auriculatus25
  5. Plainfin Midshipman Porichthys notatus18
  6. Barred Surfperch Amphistichus argenteus16
  7. Monkey-faced Prickleback Cebidichthys violaceus15
  8. Black-and-yellow Rockfish Sebastes chrysomelas15
  9. Northern Clingfish Gobiesox maeandricus15
  10. Blackeye Goby Rhinogobiops nicholsii15

Mollusks

  1. Pismo Clam Tivela stultorum315
  2. Hilton's Aeolid Phidiana hiltoni204
  3. Opalescent Nudibranch Hermissenda opalescens196
  4. California Mussel Mytilus californianus141
  5. San Diego Dorid Diaulula sandiegensis115
  6. California Seahare Aplysia californica114
  7. Black Tegula Tegula funebralis91
  8. Monterey Dorid Doris montereyensis82
  9. Noble Dorid Peltodoris nobilis72
  10. Lesser Two-spot Octopus Octopus bimaculoides70

How a trip works

A trip has its own trail of lessons: meet six species, match them to new photos, then practice with four choices. Species you learn go into your Fieldbook, and starting a trip earns its Passport stamp. Your home place stays as it is.

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Species lists and counts from research-grade observations on iNaturalist, as of October 2026. KnowKi is not affiliated with NOAA or any area's managers. Free, with no ads, no account and no purchases.