Isla Natividad - Geography and Ecology

Geography and Ecology

It has steep rocky shores fringed by rocks and kelp except for a small sandy beach towards the mainland; there is one of the best beach breaks in North America however, called "Open Door". The island is barren and hilly with a peak 150 m high rising near its center. The flora consists mainly of a dense cover of Mesembryanthemum crystallinum and M. nodiflorum, cacti, and small shrubs. There are no endemic plants or animals on Natividad due to its proximity to the mainland (it was probably part of the mainland several times during the ice ages, when sea levels were lower). However, Mammillaria pondii and a little-researched Opuntioideae cactus, as well as Mentzelia hirsutissima var. nesiotes are found in few other places. Native land vertebrates are few, including the deer mouse Peromyscus maniculatus and some lizards. Seabirds - namely Brandt's Cormorant - and seals use the island as a breeding and resting site. Isla Natividad is one of the southernmost breeding locations of Cassin's Auklet and a main breeding site for Black-vented Shearwaters.